Rising Sun
by Gingerxbug
Summary: He left her again, only this time on their honeymoon.With a deadly secret that would change her life for good, Bella forces herself to be strong and to do what she needs in order to survive. A hundred years later with a family of her own, Bella will have a new enemy to face while a few particular ghosts from her past come back to haunt her.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

Bella couldn't believe what she was seeing. The fancy scripture of her husband's handwriting was jumbled and unusually messy, blurring together in her eyes. Her mind couldn't comprehend, couldn't analyze its true meaning. She didn't know what to make of the words.

 _I am leaving you..._

The piece of parchment fluttered from the grasp of her fingers and landed on the floor with a silent thump. Instead of her gaze following its journey, she stared at her raised, yet limp hand. Bella's body felt frozen and numb, unable to move. She could almost see her nearly whole heart shatter once more and for the same damn reason as the first time.

Edward was gone.

This time was different though. This time, the last time as he had stated, he left her stranded on Isle Esme, off the coast of South America. She was alone, not even able to just drive back to her father's house. Not that she wanted to, anyway; what would Charlie say? _I told you so?!_ He could say that and Bella wouldn't care. She knew he was right, she should have never believed he loved her.

Her body took control. Her mind was separate and had no control over her limbs and their actions. As she grabbed the first thing she could reach for, a stained glass vase, a guttural scream, one of pain and sorrow, came from her throat, tearing through her teeth. She launched it in whatever direction felt natural and the vase crashed into the door that lead to the en suite bathroom, smashing to unfixable pieces. She grabbed again; this time, her fingers latched onto a bottle of perfume she had received as a wedding present from Alice. That followed the vase's footsteps, straight into the door.

For the next few days all Bella could do was cry and scream, and then scream and cry. She barely ate; she barely moved off the bed, out of her cocoon of blankets. She was always curled up in a ball underneath, despite the tropical weather and nothing to keep cool with. As far as she was concerned, she hoped she died. Somehow, some way, sometime soon, she wanted to die. It was a powerful feeling but an empty, yearning one.

She didn't move until something changed.

Bella felt something prod her stomach on the fourth day. She opened her puffy, dry eyes, wondering what was touching her. She rolled onto her side and looked down at the bed. Nothing was there except for the smooth baby blue sheets.

 _I'm imagining things now, that's just great,_ she muttered mentally and lay back down on the bed, her stomach flat against the sheet. She still felt the prodding; this time, it covered her lower abdomen and felt as hard as a rock.

"What the heck?" She asked herself and moved onto her hands and knees. She moved one hand over the sheets that were beneath her. Nothing was there; it was as soft as the first time she had laid there.

Climbing out of bed, Bella took her time. She knew she hadn't eaten in days and that she would be weak. Holding onto something with each step, she carried herself to the bathroom, thinking maybe she had to go. Right as she was about to head in though, something caught her eye. She turned and faced the mirror, seeing her dirty, ratty self.

And a rather small but visible bump between her hips.

"That's impossible," she murmured as her eyes glued to the sight. She twisted and turned to see it at different angles, but nothing changed. That bump was definitely there.

Snapping out of her haze, Bella fumbled for her bag of personal products. She had learned from a young age to keep track of her periods and kept a miniature calendar to mark her days down. She looked at her last date and counted until the next time she was supposed to get her period. When she got her answer, she shook her head.

 _That can't be right_ , she thought and recounted. Bella still got the same answer though. She was fourteen days late.

"Can a vampire even get someone pregnant?" She asked herself as she went back to the mirror. She poked at the bump, but it was hard like granite or marble. She poked again, only harder this time.

Something poked her back afterwards.

"Oh my God," she squealed, jumping back a step. "This can't be happening; it's impossible!"

Bella knew enough that pregnancies didn't work this way. A baby never developed that fast; she had grown an inch to two inches in less than four days!

Next thing she knew, her body was carrying her out of the room at a faster speed then she thought she would be able to walk at the moment. She first went into the kitchen and grabbed a bag of pretzels from the cabinet and then found Edward's cell phone on the counter. She pulled a stool up and sat down before taking a pretzel and nibbling on it. She ate slowly as she went through the contact list. She first tried Alice, hoping that this time she wouldn't leave her alone. All she got was a disconnection message.

She went through every contact of the Cullen family listed, which was everyone but Esme. No one picked up. It was either a disconnection message, like Alice, or a simple beeping noise. She tried Carlisle's cell phone last, praying he didn't get rid of his phone too. He couldn't do that, not now. Not when she needed him as more than a father in law but also as a doctor.

Still, not even Carlisle picked up. She then tried the Denali Coven, hoping they would know how to get in touch with anyone from the Cullen family. Bella only got an answering machine.

She slammed the phone down on the counter, dropping her pretzel in the process. She held her head in her hands, trying to figure out what to do without getting upset again. She could go home, but it would be impossible telling Charlie how she was pregnant and showing already. Her mother would be a little bit gentler, yet still how could Bella explain this?

"The pack," She whispered. They might know what to do. They could help her. They dealt with vampires and if the Cullen family left, wouldn't they know? They had to!

Bella stumbled off the stool and looked around for the note Edward had left her. Skipping over his excuses for leaving her again, she found the section she wanted. He had left her a box filled with everything she would need in the future. The key was under her pillow and the box was under her bed. She left the note on the table and got the box and key as quickly as she could. As she opened it, she found a wallet full of credit cards. Underneath it was rows of cash, enough to hold her over several years.

"Bastard," she muttered. To get this much together, she knew Edward had planned this. He knew he was going to leave her. He just wanted to break her heart first by marrying her and promising to make her dreams come true.

She reached for the cell again and this time tried calling Charlie. Her father answered on the first ring. He must have been at home.

"Hello?" He asked after he had answered.

"Dad?" Bella asked in return to confirm it was her father.

"Bella? Hey, how's it going at the island?" Her father asked his voice chipper. He must have finally gotten over her marriage.

Bella ignored his question though; if she told him in full what happened, she would break down and Charlie would probably end up killing someone.

"Dad, I'm coming home," she said.

"So soon? Why? Is everything okay? Are you sick? Is Edward okay?"

Bella hesitated, making sure she wouldn't break down again. "He left me dad," she murmured.

"What do you mean 'left you'? What, did he go to the mainland for something?"

Bella bit her lip. "No dad. He left, as in he's gone. He just left me here and I need to come home."

The string of curses that came from Charlie's mouth would have put a sailor to shame. Bella had to pull the phone away from her ear and even flinched at his tone. There was no doubt that Charlie was angry. Actually, angry was an understatement. Charlie was royally furious.

"Bella…? How are you able to get home?" Charlie asked when he had stopped yelling. His voice was rough and raspy, almost as if he were going to cry.

"He left enough money to get home and a number to call the cleaning crew to get me back to the city," she explained with a sigh.

"Do you want me to come get you? I can fly down immediately, I'll leave now-"

"No dad, it's fine. I remember each airport I need to get to so I'll be okay. I'll call you each time I land. Can you pick me up when I get to Seattle though? I don't like cabs."

"Of course baby, just please don't get hurt. Do you have a number for the Cullen's place? Never mind I'll just go other there myself, see if I can get my hands on his neck," Charlie grumbled. A shot of panic flew through Bella at the thought of Charlie trying to kill a vampire.

"No dad, don't!" She exclaimed then fought to cover her words. "I've already tried each number in Edward's phone. They're all disconnected… I think they moved again. They did the last time he left too…"

"Bella, you aren't going to run off after him again, are you? You really are coming home?"

Bella thought for a moment. "No, I'm not going after him. I don't ever want to see his face again. I don't want to hear from him and I don't want to have to have my life revolve around him and his choices. I'm done with him."

Inside, something snapped in Bella. She didn't have the urge to cry anymore. She didn't feel pain or sadness. She didn't have that feeling of buried guilt or rejection. She didn't have the urge to find him and beg him to take her back.

All she had was anger. Anger and hatred for him because he left her with…with his child!

"Dad… I'm going to start packing so I'll call you when I get to the airport, but when I get home, we need to talk about some things, and you aren't going to want to hear it."

"Alright… well then be safe Bells, please. Just come home."

"I love you dad." With that, she hung up and started packing.

* * *

Hello Fanfictioners! So this story was posted once before on here but it's literally been years. I just started working on this again though and have been editing some changes. Hopefully you like; I'd love to hear your feedback. So please review/PM me!

Also, this is currently posted on wattpad.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

It took a total of two days to get back to Washington. It would have been sooner if some flights hadn't been delayed or if Bella had just gone with a first class flight. She was being frugal though and wanted to save the money. She was going to need it, being a single mom and all.

When she had finally arrived at Seattle airport, Charlie was waiting in full uniform, even having his gun, which Bella noted was fully loaded. She sighed.

"Dad, he's not coming here," She murmured when she reached him with the cart full of her luggage. Charlie stepped forward and, as if he was total different person, enveloped Bella in a tight hug. He didn't let go until Bella pushed him away gently.

"I wanted to be prepared," he muttered and brushed her hair away from her face.

 _Like it would do a damn thing_ , she thought to herself with a mental scowl.

"Now what did you need to talk about that sounded so much more urgent than this mess?"

Bella swallowed harshly. Though she had enough time to think about it, she didn't know how to approach the subject without having Charlie thinking she was crazy. "I think we should wait until we get back to the house. You know, more private and confidential?"

Charlie raised an eyebrow, but started to pack her luggage into the trunk and back seat of the police cruiser. Bella waddled over to the other side of the cruiser and got in; she made sure her dress was still loose around her abdomen. She had gained another visible inch around her hips and desperately didn't want Charlie to notice.

The ride was somewhat silent. Charlie had pulled Bella up against his side to hold her close and comfort her. At first it was a shock to Bella; Charlie was never affectionate like that. Now, after knowing his daughter's heart was broken yet again, he wanted to be there in every way possible; whether to comfort or to make sure she didn't run off again, Bella didn't know for sure.

Arriving back at the house felt like the first day she had come to Forks, only this time she was glad to be back. She got out of the cruiser gently and went to help Charlie grab her bags but he shooed her inside.

"Go call Billy; he needs to tell Jake you are home," He ordered softly. Bella nodded; it wasn't a bad idea. She didn't know how Jake would react but she needed him now, whether he liked it or not.

Bella went into the house and went to grab the house phone. She dialed Billy's number, a number she had memorized by heart and waited for an answer. Finally, the old Native American answered. "Hello?"

"Uh, hi Billy; this is Bella, Charlie's daughter?"

"Bella! Goodness, what are you doing calling here on your honeymoon?" He asked in surprise. Bella winced; everyone would want to know why she was home.

"I'm actually at home, Billy. I left the island…is Jake home?"

"You're at … home. Jake's out in the barn, I'll send for him," Billy said, his tone of surprise dropped flat. Bella waited as she listened to his muffled voice yell at Embry to get Jake. He didn't tell him it was her on the phone though.

It took a few minutes before Jake's soft voice entered the background. Bella listened to them converse and had to stop herself from laughing when she heard Billy play dumb and tell him he didn't know who had asked for him.

"Hello?" Jake asked as he answered the phone.

Bella closed her eyes, glad to hear his bass tone again.

"Um, hey kid," she murmured awkwardly. It took a minute for her voice to register with him.

"Bella?" He asked; same shocked tone as his father.

"Yeah, that would be me."

"What… why are you calling me on your honeymoon?" He questioned. Now he was suspicious.

"Well uh, honeymoon's over Jake. I'm back home…can you come by? Please? I need to talk to you and I'm going to need your help with something," Bella pleaded.

Silence plagued the phone for several moments.

"Are you still…?"

"Yeah Jake, I'm still human," she answered low enough so that Charlie wouldn't hear.

"I'll be over in a few moments. Do I need to bring someone?"

"See if Sam can come. If not, then just you please. And hurry," she said, her last two words ending in whispers. Jake hung up without so much as a goodbye and so Bella placed the phone back on the hook.

"What did Jake say?" Charlie asked as he finished bringing in her things. Bella shrugged halfheartedly.

"He's coming over in a few minutes. I kind of need him here when we talk," Bella explain lightly.

Charlie raised an eyebrow again.

"Why can't you tell me without him here?"

Bella bit her lip. "Because you won't believe me or you'll be so angry that someone's going to have to hold you down," she admitted. "I hope you won't be angry with me, seeing as I didn't have a choice."

Charlie's face softened. "Bella I couldn't be angry with you."

"You haven't heard what I'm about to tell you. Go sit in the living room and I'll make you some coffee until they get here," Bella murmured.

Charlie nodded hesitantly but followed her orders and sat in the living room.

Just as Bella had finished making the coffee, a knock on the door sounded. Bella got the door and opened it, producing an image of Jacob, his alpha Sam, and Sam's fiancée, Emily. Bella gave Jake a pointed stare but Emily spoke up.

"After Jake said you were home, I figured you would need a girl to talk to," she said gently. It took Bella a moment to realize that she was right. Alice was always her support and now that she was gone, she would take what she would get.

Bella let them come in and led them into the living room. She handed Charlie his coffee then asked if Sam and Emily wanted some. Emily declined but Sam hadn't.

"Jake, come help me," she murmured, knowing she needed to talk to him first.

Jake followed her into the kitchen and once they were alone, he spun her around, forcing her to look at him. "Bella, why are you here?"

"Didn't you miss me?" She asked jokingly but the small smile slipped from her lips until she was frowning. She sighed and leaned back against the counter as Jacob's eyes demanded she tell him what was going on. "He left me Jake," she finally said softly.

"He left you? Again?" The werewolf asked in a growl. Bella nodded.

"I woke up one day and he was gone, just like that. Left me a note, a bunch of cash, and then left."

"Did you try calling the Cullens?"

"Phones are disconnected. I bet if you sent the boys over, they'd find an empty home," she muttered as she started to make the coffee. Jacob did just that and used her phone to tell Embry, Jared and Paul to go search. After that he looked back at her with a suspicious glance.

"There's something else you aren't telling me, right?" He asked.

Bella nodded and held out her hand to him. He laid his own in hers without a second thought and she placed it against her stomach. As if sensing someone else's presence, the creature inside kicked her, making Bella squeal lightly. Jake stared at her in shock.

"I have a little nudger, Jake," she whispered.

"His child?"

Bella nodded. "It's not a normal baby, Jake. A week ago, I was normal weight; now, not so much. I don't know what to expect and with the Cullens gone, I need to find help and fast. I also don't know how to explain to Charlie without directly telling him vampires exist. That would put him in danger."

Jake still couldn't get over the fact that she was pregnant. "He left you while you are _pregnant?!_ "

Bella nodded again. "I don't know why or how but I don't care anymore. I just need to get help."

Jake nodded. He ran his hand through his hair and looked out toward the living room. "I'll do whatever you need."

Bella nodded and hugged him tightly. Jake hugged her back and then led her out into the living room. She was visibly shaking by the time she came into Charlie's view. He looked shocked at her sudden change of bravado.

"Bells?" He asked gently. Bella held up a hand to signify she was alright.

"Just give me a minute, please," she murmured as she looked at him. She then looked at Jake, who gently hugged her shoulders.

"Maybe you should have Emily help you with this one," he murmured.

"Help with what?" Emily asked. She stood, despite the warning glance she received from Sam. She stepped forward and pulled Bella away from Jacob's grasps, before turning her away from the other men. "What is it?"

Bella looked down at her stomach and then back at Emily. When Emily still didn't get it, she repeated the same actions she had done with Jacob. Emily gasped as she felt the hard bump on her stomach and looked at her in surprise.

"Vamp-"

Bella nodded. "Don't say it. I can't have Charlie knowing exactly what is going on," she whispered.

No doubt Sam had already heard.

"Can you tell them yourself or would you like me to do it?" Emily asked quietly after hugging Bella gently. Bella shrugged.

"I just want to get it over with," Bella responded.

Emily nodded and turned her back around to face her father, Jake and Sam. She kept her hand around Bella's shoulder tightly to support her.

"Charlie, what do you know about the Cullen… family?" Emily asked him gently.

Charlie appeared confused for a moment and before he could answer, Sam stood and glared at his fiancé.

"This isn't your right to tell, Emily," he said firmly. Emily rolled her eyes.

"It'll be the abridged version. Besides, Bella can't do this by herself. The poor girl has gone through enough the past few days, don't you think?"

"You know what happens to humans who know," Sam argued.

"He won't ask what they really are," Bella put in.

Sam looked at her and immediately his gaze was softer. He always identified with Bella easily, especially with the confusion she faced over the past two years.

"Are you sure about that?"

"What the hell is going on?!" Charlie finally snapped, silencing the three.

Bella looked at her father and watched as he ran his hands through his hair roughly; he always did that when he was frustrated. "What do you four know that I don't? And what is all this damn talk about the Cullens being something else?"

"Charlie, I would sit down for this," Jacob murmured as he gently pushed Charlie back onto the couch. Charlie then looked at Bella for help, his eyes confused, frustrated, and tired.

"Bells, what in god's name is wrong?"

Bella swallowed harshly and stepped away from Emily's support. She rubbed her eyes then took several deep breaths before looking back at Charlie.

"Dad, the Cullen family isn't human. They never were."

"They aren't… humans. Bells, what kind of joke is that?"

"I'm serious Dad, think about it. Dr. Cullen and his wife, their kids… none of them look alike but yet they all have the same golden eyes. You never see them in sunlight, yet they are all brilliant and talented. Remember the wedding? None of them ate anything yet they had the most energy out of all of us. Just think about it."

Charlie stared at her like she had three heads. Bella expected that of course; what else would his reaction be like? Accepting? Never.

"She's right Charlie; they aren't normal. We can't tell you what they are because it will put you in danger. It's bad enough Bella's life has been in jeopardy for the past two years because of them," Sam muttered as he sat back down.

Charlie was silent as he looked down at the floor. He played with his hands, thinking about what to say next. He didn't know what to say, what to think. All he knew was that all of this sounded horrible.

"If this is true, Bells… why did you stay with him?" Charlie finally asked. His voice was sad, defeated and rough; it broke Bella's heart.

Emily spoke before Bella opened her mouth. "Charlie, I don't think Bella had a choice. These people… their kind is very charismatic; they are good with manipulating emotions. They have to be if they want to survive. Bella fell in a trap with Edward because he was… drawn to her. He made her fall in love, left her, and then came back. All of us honestly thought he did love her, but he left her again. It's a game to him, but he's taken it too far this time. And now, Bella will suffer because of him."

"Suffer? What do you mean? I know he left and you loved him Bells but you'll find someone who deserves you. We'll get the marriage annulled and you can start fresh," Charlie explained but stopped when Bella held up her hand. For the first time since she realized what was going on, she shed a tear.

"Dad, I don't think it is possible to start over from this," She murmured.

"Well why not? So the prick hurt you; you're strong. You'll pull through, you did once before. I know you will."

"No dad, I won't," Bella whispered.

"You're over thinking this, Bells. It isn't the end of the world; you know how to handle it this time-"

"Charlie, I'm pregnant!" Bella finally snapped.

Charlie froze in silence, staring at her yet again. This time, his face was emotionless and blank. This scared Bella more than when he was angry. Suddenly, she wished she had never come home in the first place.

She needed to though.

"Pregnant?" He whispered. He looked at Sam, wondering if he had heard her right, but all Sam could do was stare at Bella. He hadn't expected it either.

"Yes, pregnant," Bella whispered. "He never said anything about the possibility of getting pregnant so I didn't think to use a condom. Carlisle never mentioned it so I guess none of us expected it was a possibility."

"Does he know? Cullen?" Sam asked in a growl.

Bella repressed cringing from his tone and shook her head.

"If he did, he knew before I did. I only found out a few days after I discovered he was gone," She answered and turned to Emily. "I may not have experience, but I don't think I'm supposed to start showing only days after conception, Emily. I don't think the baby is human."

"That's just lovely; you're going to give birth to a hybrid," Jacob laughed humorlessly. "What are you going to do? Nurse it what it needs when it's born? You sure as hell can't breast feed it."

Bella bit her lip as she looked down. She didn't respond.

"Bella what is it?" Sam asked, taking a step forward. Emily placed her hand back on Bella's shoulder, pressing her to answer.

"I have a feeling I won't even get the chance to hold him," She whispered as she looked up at Jacob.

Charlie shot out of his seat. "That…that thing will kill you?" He exclaimed.

"He's not a thing! Don't call him that!" Bella snapped at her father then scowled at the floor. "I don't know but the fact that I've grown about three inches from in only a few days, giving birth won't be pretty. And it certainly won't take nine months."

"Bella you can't keep the baby," Charlie said softly. He stood next to Sam and stared at her stomach. "You can't keep it if it will kill you. You just can't."

"We'll need to get rid of it, before it grows anymore. We don't know what kind of damage it will cause and we can't have it kill you," Sam added with a nod.

"Absolutely not!" Bella squealed, her hands covering her belly. "You are not going to kill him! I won't let you."

"Like you could stop us," Jacob muttered. Sam shot him a look and then stepped closer to Bella, forcing her to step back more.

"Bella, that baby is a danger. It's a monster, just like its father."

"I can't let him go," she whimpered in return.

"You can't hang onto it, Bells!" Jacob snapped. He pushed his way in front of his alpha and grabbed onto Bella's shoulders, pulling her close to him. "You can't keep the baby just to keep him close. It won't be a reminder of Cullen and all it will do is hurt you more and more."

The slap came before either of them knew what was going on. Bella's hand came in contact with Jacob's cheek with a loud clap-like noise. It didn't hurt her this time, like it had when she had punched him. She guessed that it was because of how angry she was this time.

"I don't want him because of Cullen, Jacob! He's just as much a part of me as he is of him. I'm not going to let his father dictate how I love him and whether he lives or not!"

"Bells, that baby is evil," Charlie said as he pulled Jacob back from her. "I don't want to lose you over this…you can always have another child. Hell if you want you can adopt a child as soon as you want; just don't let this take you away from me, not again."

"It won't kill me," Bella whispered. Right now, she knew she wasn't going to die. She couldn't because she would have a baby to take care of. Death wasn't an option.

Becoming one of them was though.

* * *

Wow! I didn't expect this much after a day. Thanks guys! I really love hearing from you sooo much. It definitely helps!

So I'm thinking about taking up a beta or two. I used to do that before and I really enjoyed having that relationship for writing. I'd definitely want one for this story but I'm also considering taking one for my original stories. Unfortunately I don't know many people that are into writing or even avid readers, so it would definitely be nice to have that person to go to. If you're interested, PM me! Also, I'm willing to be a beta myself so there's that.

Don't forget to leave your feedback. 3


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Bella was alone in her room. About an hour after the news, Sam and Jacob left to go 'discuss' with the rest of the pack. Emily stayed for an hour after that but then had to leave to start supper for her house guests. Charlie didn't bother her afterward either; he was still angry that she wanted to keep her baby.

How could he blame her though? This was her child! Sure, the child was half part of a monster but that made him no much less than half of her. She would learn to get over any reminders the child gave her of him anyways. She would force herself, for the sake of her child.

The only problem was that she was sure the pack would find a way to force her into giving up her child. Knowing that the baby was a vampire hybrid, Sam and Jake would want it dead before it developed the possibility of even thinking. Charlie would be on their side for sure, despite not knowing the full story.

"But you can think, can't you?" Bella asked in a sweet voice as she looked down at her slowly growing stomach. She felt the baby kick once, then twice, only seconds apart. She felt overwhelmed with joy. "My little nudger; I'll never let anyone hurt you, I promise."

She felt two more kicks, this time only a heartbeat between them. Bella couldn't help but let her grin spread wider as she patted her taunt abdomen.

As she sat on her bed, she couldn't help but let her mind wonder. She needed to find someone who would help her with her child, another vampire. That bad feeling in her gut told her repeatedly that there was no chance she would survive the pregnancy if she was left unchanged so now she needed someone to help her give birth, change her after her baby was safe, and keep them safe. But there wasn't anyone who would do that for a stranger.

 _I don't need a stranger,_ Bella thought to herself as the only other vampires she knew about popped into her head.

The Volturi.

At first, she wondered how she could think of them. They were cruel, sadistic, and terrifying but then Bella remembered what Aro had said when she had met him. He wanted to see what she was like as a vampire. He wanted her power.

Staring at the case full of money that sat on her dresser, she hesitated as she patted her stomach then closed her eyes. It was her only choice.

Leaving a note on the table was probably not the best thing to do. She had done that the last time she went to Italy and had nearly given Charlie heart failure. She knew that if she didn't and had just told him face to face though, he would never let her step foot out of her bedroom.

She proceeded to carry all of her bags out to the curb. She still had the car the Cullen's gave her, the missile proof one, and so she packed everything into the backseats. She had remembered to grab the keys so after going back and locking the front door, she got into the car and drove off to go to the airport.

She used the cash for the tickets. Bella thought it was the safest option so no one would knew what she was doing. Since she bought first class, she didn't have long to wait until she boarded her flight.

Once she was on the plane, Bella settled in the soft leather seats with a sigh. She had gotten changed into something comfortable for the plane ride, just a pair of jeans and an overly big sweatshirt with her hair pulled back into a low ponytail. She decided that once she arrived in Italy, she would wear something fancier, like one of the dresses Alice had given her. For now though, she would sleep.

Because of having to change flights twice, it took a day to arrive in Italy. When she did get there, it was morning; the weather was sunny and well-tempered. After getting off her last plane, she made her way to the restrooms with her luggage and went into the last stall. She must have gone through three bags before finding one with appropriate attire.

She picked a floor length, black silk gown that had crystalline designs across the hips and under her bust. Bella pulled it onto her body and noticed how it was tighter around her midsection, wincing at the fact she had grown yet another inch or two.

After getting changed, she pulled a pair of flats on and went to the mirror to fix her hair and makeup. When she finished, she drug everything outside and went to customer service to find out how to rent a car.

Five hours later, she was in Volterra.

Bella made sure to look perfect before approaching one of the entrances. She knocked once, then twice and waited. When no one answered, she knocked again and waited. Surely they heard her, right?

"That isn't the safest thing to do, Mrs. Cullen," a smooth growl sounded from behind her. She froze and tried to recognize the voice from the last time she was here but couldn't so she turned around. Standing not even five feet away was a giant man, tall and muscular, somewhat comparable to her ex-brother-in-law, Emmett Cullen. His eyes were red and though out of the sun his skin shined lightly. She definitely remembered this man now, especially since Aro had planned for him to kill her. His name was Felix.

"It's Swan, not Cullen," she muttered and looked him in the eye, despite her rising fear. He could kill her right now and she would not be able to do anything to save herself. He was right; it wasn't safe. It was her only choice though. "I need to speak to Aro."

Felix's eyebrows rose at the mention of her former last name. He glanced at her hand; Bella figured he was looking for a wedding ring. He wouldn't find it though; she had left it back home.

"Why would you dare confront Aro? Still as a human, no doubt?" He questioned. His tone expressed his disbelief and his eyes showed amusement, making Bella frown.

"I have an offer to make him. So if you would please lead the way. I'm sure he would love to hear what I have to say," Bella argued lightly. She had no clue where the determination came from. Was it the fact that this was her last hope on staying alive, keeping her child, and raising it properly and not from a grave?

The answer was simple: yes.

"An offer, for Aro? Are you offering yourself up as a meal?" Felix asked; he made no attempt at covering his amusement this time.

"Not quite. Now please, I would rather get this done and over with."

"You do realize that if he says no to this 'deal' you propose you won't leave here alive."

"If he says yes, I won't be alive anyways," Bella countered. That brought Felix into a whole new level of curiosity. He said no more and opened the door for her, not wanting to hesitate anymore. He had to admit, for the first time in centuries, a human had peaked his interest.

Felix let her go in and then closed the door behind them. He placed a hand on her shoulder to guide her in the right direction because she could not see in the darkness while he could see perfectly clear. He was gentle with her, knowing that if her deal meant what he thought it did, Aro would kill him if something happened to her.

When they arrived in the final corridor to the throne room, where the rulers sat eternally, Bella felt her breath catch in her throat. This would be the end of her life, whether her answer would be yes, or no. At least then she knew she tried.

Felix pushed the door open, ignoring the protests in Italian from their human secretary and stepped aside to let Bella through. Immediately, she caught the attention of all three leaders.

"Mrs. Cullen! What a pleasure to have you in our home, though quite a surprise!" Aro said enthusiastically. He truly was shocked; even a human could see that.

"She goes by Swan still, Aro," Felix muttered softly. This surprised Aro even more.

"Such a modern tactic, my dear; pray tell, where is the rest of the family? And why are you still human?" He questioned Bella as he stood. One minute he was standing up from his throne and the next moment he was in front of her. He held out his hand cautiously, probably remembering the last time he had done this.

"They're gone," she muttered as she placed both hands into his lightly. He covered her hands with his other hand and tried to get a glimpse into her hidden mind. When his eyebrows furrowed together, she knew he had failed again.

"Since I cannot see for myself, will you please clarify your story? What do you mean, they left?" Aro requested. Bella sighed and relayed her story to Aro in full detail. She stopped when she had gotten to the part of finding the note and becoming severally depressed. Aro's crimson eyes had continually widened as he took in all the information and by the time she was finished, he was speechless.

However instead of Aro speaking, Caius stood up from his throne with a pointed glare. "So you came here to complain and ask for revenge?"

Aro held up a hand to silence him, which he obeyed. "Isabella dear, why do I know you are leaving something out that is very important to your tale?"

"Because I am," Bella responded quietly. "I doubt that Edward knew before he left; he might have killed me if he knew or had his father study me because of how shocking it is. You might want to do the same but I didn't know who else to go to for help. The Cullen coven abandoned me and their cousins in Alaska, the Denali coven, won't answer my calls."

Aro tilted his head as he examined her. Nothing seemed different, except for her cheek bones which became sunken in and her eyes which were bruised underneath. "Miss Swan, what is wrong that is so drastic?"

Bella looked down at the ground. "Aro, how many heartbeats are in this room right now?"

Aro was perplexed by her question but listened carefully. He could hear Bella's own nervous tune yet it was intermixed with another sound, one that resembled the thrumming of a humming bird's wings. When he strained his hearing a little bit, he heard more. His eyes darted to her stomach and for a first time, he saw the slight bulge between her hips.

"He impregnated you? You are carrying twins?"

Bella's head snapped up at the mention of twins. "There's more than one?" She asked, dumbfounded. She had two little nudgers? There was two babies growing inside her?

Aro held out his hand out in front of her but paused right before he touched her. "May I?" he questioned in awe. Bella had only then noticed that his brothers had come forth to study their interaction.

She nodded in response so Aro placed his hands on her swollen stomach gently. His thumbs brushed against the hard mass gently as he closed his eyes. He inhaled deeply before releasing the unneeded air.

"They have thoughts; short and scattered, yet still thoughts," he murmured and reopened his eyes. The blood colored irises gazed meaningfully at Bella as a slow smile gazed across his lips. "You are with twins, Isabella. You are blessed with a miracle behind anything possible."

"Is this why you came to us?" Caius asked. Bella was shocked by his tone. The normal coldness and cruelty was gone and replaced by curiosity and warmth. She nodded though in return.

"I know I will not survive the pregnancy human. I can't, not with two hybrid children. They'll be stronger than I am before they are born. So I came here to offer a deal if you help me."

"Elaborate," Marcus murmured in his normal monotone voice.

"If you can help me deliver, change me into a vampire, and take care of them until I awaken, I will become a part of your guard. Aro, you already know I have some sort of potential, especially since you still cannot read me. You can use my gift to whatever advantage you wish and if my children are gifted also, they too will join when they are old enough. That is what I offer in return for your help."

Aro was shocked by her plan but was pleased. He had wanted to know what Isabella's gift was since he discovered her ability.

"Brothers? Your opinions, please?" He asked without looking at the other vampires.

"Her gift is valuable and powerful; with the cross between hers and the gift of their father, I have no doubt the children will be equally as strong as they are combined," Caius answered with approval.

"Some children will bring liveliness to our home," Marcus added.

"Then it is done," Aro said with a smile. He held his hand out to her and Bella shook it. She had just given her life away.

* * *

Holy hell, it's chapter three. Thank you guys so much still. I love hearing from all of you, so please keep leaving your reviews and PMs. Also, the note for the beta still stands. If you're interested, don't hesitate to hit me up.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

It was set and final. Bella had become a part of the Volturi as their human pet until she gave birth, which then she would finally become a vampire. She was treated as an equal though before, despite the major differences.

Not long after Bella had been showed where she would be staying, she wrote two letters: one to Charlie and another to Jacob and Sam. She explained what was going on without actually telling Charlie that she was becoming a vampire. She merely stated that she would be in Italy to give birth to what were now twins and afterwards, she would not be the same. With Aro's permission though, she promised Charlie she would bring home his grandchildren so he could see them every so often.

Though she had been afraid at first, Bella had soon become close friends and dependent on Jane. It was weird for her, becoming best friends with the girl who had wanted to hurt her but Bella learned that Jane was a complete different person than who she was around the Cullen coven; it was a defense mechanism.

Bella had decided with the help of Aro that the children would be raised in a family like manner. Jane had claimed the right to play the role of an older sister to them and her brother Alec would be an older brother. Felix, Demetri, and Heidi would be could be family friends, perhaps even aunt and uncles. Aro and Marcus were closely related to the role of grandfathers with their wise decisions and thinking.

Caius was a different story. Bella knew that when she had first met him, he wanted her dead. The ancient yet incredibly young looking vampire always believed that their secret should be strictly confined only to the vampire society and their victims. Now that he had proof Bella would be an asset once she was turned, as well as her children, Caius had warmed up to her quickly. They had become close and he had become quite protective of Bella, always hovering so closely and keeping an eye on her.

It was decided that he would be the father influence of Bella's children. Strangely, she was more than okay with that.

"It should be any day now Isabella, if my calculations are correct. With how fast you have grown in the past two months, compared to a normal pregnancy, it should be in the next few days."

Bella couldn't believe the doctor's words. Not only would her children be born close to her nineteenth birthday, she would most likely stop aging forever if they changed her in time. It could also be the end of her life altogether.

"Have you thought any names, Bella?" Heidi asked her as she stroked her forehead with a cold rag to keep her cool. The pregnancy was harsh on her human body and a fever was just one of the many problems that came with it. She also was paralyzed from the waist down because of the lack of muscle tone and the babies had also broken a few of her ribs from being playful and kicking.

It would all be worth it in the end, though.

"It's hard to decide," Bella whispered. She could barely speak louder than that at times.

"Well what name would you chose if you had two boys?"

"Noah… I like the name Noah. And Jacob for the second boy."

"And if you have two girls?"

Bella pursed her lips as she thought. "Evangeline…that's a pretty name; Lily is pretty too."

"So if you have a boy and a girl, you could name them Noah Jacob and Evangeline Lily. They sound perfect for two little angels, don't they?"

"But what if it's two of the same gender? Then she needs to pick two more middle names," Demetri butted in. Bella hadn't even considered that; she was so fixated on the names Heidi had put together.

 _Noah Jacob and Evangeline Lily Swan; perfect._

"They don't need middle names, Demetri. They can be just as sweet with one name," Jane murmured to him. Bella hadn't even seen her come in. Jane grabbed onto her hand gently and Bella shivered at the drastic change in temperature. "How are you doing Bells?"

"Peachy," Bella answered with a tired grin. She lay back on the cot and closed her eyes as she breathed deeply. It was hard on her lungs with the broken ribs creating more pressure but the twins kept kicking her. "I guess they are a playful bunch," Bella muttered to herself.

"Will we have to turn her right after she gives birth, doctor?" Heidi asked him.

"My guess is yes. Though the blood she's been drinking has made her stronger, it will still be very complicated, especially since these children are more capable of different actions of normal human children when they are at least six months old. I expect a lot of blood loss and pain for Bella so we will try morphine to take the edge off."

"Bella? Are you sure about this?" Jane asked when her attention caught the word pain.

Bella nodded though. She had to go through with this. They were her babies.

The doctor's expectations were correct. There was definitely a lot of blood and a lot of pain for Bella.

When Bella went into labor, it was a violent situation. For a moment, only a short moment, she was frozen. All she did was stare ahead as a sharp pain shot through her body, momentarily paralyzing her. Next, a scream erupted from her lips, the sound wild and excruciatingly high pitched. The scream was then cut off by a fountain of blood spewing from her mouth as her back twisted in an unnatural angle, possibility breaking her spine in half.

Before she collapsed to the floor, Heidi dove under and caught her, keeping her head from hitting the stone ground. She growled at the others to move out of the way as she swiftly swung a coughing Isabella into her arms and rushed off to find the room they had prepared for the delivery. Though most of them wanted to be with their human pet as she went through the labor and change, only Heidi could handle the scent of Bella's blood. She had mentally prepared herself to ignore the mouthwatering aroma.

"Doctor!" The vampire screeched. The man who had worked over Bella for the past few months came into the room, followed by five to six chamber maids.

"What has happened?" He asked Heidi, staring in horror at Bella's mangled body.

"She's going into labor, you imbecile. You never said it would be like this!" Heidi growled. The doctor ignored her statement and immediately started to process the whole situation.

"With possible spine damage, she won't be able to deliver normally. We'll have to perform a C-section on her abdomen, though I will possibly need your help if I can't cut through the membrane," he explained as calmly as he could. One of the chamber maids handed him a scalpel as another lifted the blood drenched dress off her skin. He sterilized her stomach with simple peroxide and started to cut through Bella's skin, leaving a trail of blood behind.

Bella's screams got louder, startling the doctor from his haze. He stopped the scalpel and directed one of the nurses to give Bella a dosage of Morphine. As the needle broke through her skin and the morphine slipped into her veins and filled her body, she started to calm down. The screams settled a bit as she started to lose feeling across her body.

Bella couldn't tell if only seconds passed or if it had been hours before the first of the two was removed. Off in the distance, she could hear the slight cries but in her mind, it was recognized as bells.

"Evangeline," Heidi whispered as she cradled the baby in the soft towel, cleaning her gently. The baby girl was beautiful, even gorgeous. Her little eyes opened after the blood was wiped off her eyelids, revealing the deepest and richest brown color Heidi had ever seen. On top of her head were brown curls that looked more delicate than feathers. Her skin was almost as pale as Heidi's and glimmered under the light, yet her cheeks were rosy as a bed of rose petals.

"Almost there, Bella; just a few more moments," Heidi whispered to the human, holding out little Evangeline for her to see. Bella's eyes, opened only half way, connected with her daughter's gaze and immediately, all pain went away for the moment.

"Evangeline," she whispered. Her voice was calm and peaceful, which scared Heidi more than anything.

"Bella, you need to keep your heart beating. Not for you, not for me, but for your children. Think of Evangeline." Heidi paused as she saw the doctor removing the second child and giving the baby to one of the maids to hold and clean. A smile spread across her lips. "Think about Evangeline Lily and Noah Jacob, Bella; they need you more than the world."

Though Bella wanted to stay with them and be able to hold her children and raise them like the good mother she planned to be, she could feel her breathing decrease and her pulse slow down dramatically. She was losing too much blood and the damage was too great.

"Take care of them Heidi," Bella barely whispered; the words came out as her few last breathes. Heidi's eyes widened. She thrust Evangeline over to another maid and screamed for the others to come in now.

"You aren't leaving us," Heidi growled. Letting her instincts take over, Heidi climbed over Bella's body, right as her eyes shut. "I won't let you leave them behind, they need you Bells!"

Heidi bared her teeth and tore into Bella's neck, letting her venom soak into her carotid artery. She bit the other side before climbing off and standing at the side. She glanced at the others, who watched with shock at the scene.

"Jane, start compressions; the rest of you, bite every fucking vein you can reach on her body," Heidi growled. They immediately went to work and ignored the doctor when he protested.

"You're strength will kill her! And besides, more blood will be lost if you bite her," he shouted in panic. Heidi silenced him with a feral growl. Her protectiveness over Bella was beginning to show and just now was she realizing how attached she had become to the human.

"Get out," she said lowly, her voice filled with malice. Taking no repeats, the doctor listened and scampered out of room before he became the next victim. Still though, he was sure Isabella Swan would not make it.

Heidi proved him wrong.

Bella's body was still as a statue. She never moved, never opened her eyes. If it weren't for the soft, barely there pulse in her wrist, they might have believed it was too late for Bella. It wasn't though. It was just the little bit of morphine keeping Bella from withering in pain aloud.

Heidi stuck with her friend through the whole process, never leaving her side. She went without feeding just to be with Bella. She felt guilty that she had never realized how important Bella had become to her in the past two months. When Bella had finished the changing process, she planned on making it up to her.

Both Evangeline and Noah were extremely healthy. Like they had in the womb, the twins grew at an exceptional pace. When Bella would wake up, she would see them and think three months had gone by, not three days.

Evangeline resembled Bella to the fullest. Her eyes and hair were both a chocolate brown, rich and warm to the senses. Her skin was a bit paler than when she was born but her cheeks were still the vibrant crimson color, reminding her care takers that she was still human. Her scent wasn't delicious like they would have expected but instead reminded all of them of a garden that contained every fresh smelling flower in the world. Her most prominent scent was Freesia, a trait she had inherited from her mother.

Noah was a little different from his twin sister. His appearance took mostly after his father with his bronze hair and emerald eyes, though he was a considerate amount more beautiful than the infamous Edward Cullen. His facial features were sharp and angular with a slim and semi-long nose. His skin was just like Evangeline's but his cheeks weren't as colorful. His scent was kind of like Evangeline's floral aroma but Noah's was muskier and woodsy.

Both were the best looking kids Heidi had ever seen.

On the third and final day of Bella's process, her heart finally started to pick up. Heidi watched as the changes happened while the beating in her chest raced on. Her chest rose and became straight again, a sign that her spine was good as new. All of the bite marks scaled over and then disappeared almost completely to the point where they could not be seen unless someone was looking for them. Her muscles on her legs and arms became toned and firmed again while her waist filled in a bit more to be proportioned to the rest of her body. Everything was rebuilding for what was lost during the pregnancy.

Her skin grew paler yet healthier at the same time. Beneath the light makeup Heidi had applied, Bella's physical appearance started to alter. Her hair and eyebrows were suddenly darker, becoming a more vibrant shade of brown than any human possessed. None of the pores on her body could be seen and all blemishes were gone. Her lips grew a little fuller and gained a soft pink color while the heavy bruises under her eyes nearly disappeared, leaving the soft light purple tint that all vampires possessed.

She was becoming beautiful.

By the time the physical changes finished, her heartbeat had risen to a terrifying speed. The only thought in Heidi's mind was that it would burst when the pressure became too much.

Inside Bella's mind though, there wasn't any more pain. It was overwhelmed by the memories of her human life replaying like the tape of her life was rewinding. It started off with the day she made a deal with Aro and then continued to when she found out she was pregnant and her shock. She could see her expression. Next was her finding the final note Edward had left her saying that it was over, once and for all. Before that was the first time she was intimate with Edward and then her wedding. After that, it was a blur and as they progressed, her heart kept getting faster and faster.

She saw the fight between Edward and Victoria, her kiss to Jacob, all of the training sessions between the Cullen Coven and the wolves, her graduation party, the actual graduation, Edward proposing, her first encounter with the Volturi, running into Edward to stop him from exposing himself to humans, Alice coming back, her incident with jumping off the cliff, finding out about the pack, Laurent nearly killing her after seeing that the Cullens were gone, riding bikes with Jacob, her being depressed for months on end, Edward leaving her in the woods the first time, her eighteenth birthday party where she was nearly attacked by Jasper, Prom from junior year…

Her heart kept beating faster and faster, morphing into a dying machine that struggled for life….

….James attacking her in the ballet studio, the chase, the baseball game, meeting the Cullen family for the first time, being in the meadow with him, finding out what Edward and his family really were, being saved by Edward in Portland, Edward stopping the van from hitting her, his first reaction to her, seeing the Cullens for the first time in the cafeteria, seeing Charlie again after several years, her flight from Phoenix to Forks, saying goodbye to Rene, her dance lessons in the studio…

Her heart slowed down at the final memory, one she didn't even know she had. It was of her being held by both Renee and Charlie as a baby. They were happy then; a full family with nothing to worry about, and it was Bella's only memory of the Swan family together.

With that her heart started to slow, trotting to its last beats. Heidi stood from her seat and watched Bella's face anxiously as she waited for its final step. She couldn't smell the blood in Bella's veins anymore and her heart was just about ready to give in… only seconds longer...

When her heart finally stopped beating, it was silence for a moment. There was no movement from the girl on the table. Heidi's worry peaked and she wanted to reach out and touch her. "Isabella?" She asked in a whisper. No response.

Somewhere, rooms down from the one they were in, there was a whimper. A tiny voice spoke. It was so soft, a whisper of the mind that not even Heidi could hear it. Bella could hear it though… she could hear it above anything else in the world.

 _Mama…mama wake up._

Her eyes fluttered open. They were red.

* * *

Chapter Four! Hot damn. You know, as I reread this, it's fairly interesting because of how I might write it differently now. Like I'm tempted to start editing but i still haven't finished it. And plus, still need that beta.

Hope you guys enjoy and don't forget to leave a comment with your feedback! I love hearing from you 3


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter five - Part Two

Bella's POV - 100 years later

There are some days where I wish I could sleep. Just to get lost in dreams and escape reality is an ability humans take for granted; I can never indulge in that. I miss it and wish I still could crawl under a blanket and just lay there. I needed that right now, to reduce my stress levels. I needed some serenity, some relaxation.

I haven't been able to do that for the past century.

I stared at the mirror with soft eyes and wondered how much I've changed. Physically, the last time I changed was my nineteenth birthday, but emotionally I feel something changes every day. I've become less of the person I was born to be every minute, every second. I'm strangely fine with that. When I think of who I was as a human, I recognize all of my faults. I was weak; I was vulnerable. Now I have the strength of steel. I'm okay now.

The dress Heidi had laid out for me fit my body perfectly. It wasn't too tight; it just hugged in the right places. It was a beautiful gown in a shade of red that was a little bit darker than my eyes. The color contrasted with my body, seeming more dramatic because of my pale skin and dark hair. The silky fabric was a rich satin, made of what I was sure was only the finest of its kind. The torso of the dress was fitted and decorated lightly with crystal beading. It was floor length, only showing my black ballet flats when I walked a certain way.

Because of the dress, I left my face free of makeup, not that I needed it anyways. My hair was lying in simple curls that reached my mid back and covered my shoulders. Adding the choker-ribbon that carried my family's crest and the ring Evie and Noah had given me decades ago, I was ready.

I was beautiful, as usual.

Tonight was a party; me and my children's party, to be exact. Tonight was my birthday, as was it Evie's and Noah's; our chosen birthday. They were a hundred years old. I was a hundred and nineteen. The three of us were frozen in teenage beauty, never aging, always gorgeous. That was a part of the vampire life style, anyways. That with brilliant speed and brutal strength… combined, we were the perfect killers with ultimate senses. Nothing would stand in our way.

I left my room with a bag in hand: presents for Evie and Noah. They had told me earlier, as per every year, they wanted nothing for their birthdays. I wouldn't have it, though. They were my children so I had the right to give them gifts, whether they liked it or not. It was the same for the rest of the guard; as much as the twins complained, they always got their presents.

Unfortunately, it was the same for me.

At the end of the corridor, Noah and Evie talked in quiet whispers. Noah was dressed in a black suit paired with a black tie and a red shirt that was similar to my dress. On his wrist was our crest welded into a metal band and in his suit pocket was a red carnation flower. Evie's dress was similar to mine but in a different shade of red and less intricate beading. She too adorned our crest on a long silver chain and a carnation weaved into her long hair.

As if sensing me, they looked up and smiled. They walked forward to meet me and Evie handed me a box. I looked at her curiously and her soft smile grew a bit. "Aro wanted us to wear carnations in honor of our birth. It's also so others will recognize us more."

"Where do I have to put it?" I asked as I opened the box. In a bed of white silk, there lay a freshly cut flower. The smell was pleasant to my senses.

"Heidi decided to make yours into a bracelet. They were sprayed with water and frozen to keep them from dying so you won't have to worry about the petals coming out. If they do, she ordered replacements for us," Noah explained softly. I smiled at the both of them and tried the carnation to my wrist tight enough to keep it from falling off. Noah was right; the flower had been frozen.

"You both look _dashing_ ," I chuckled once I finished securing the ribbon. Formals like this weren't for the Swan family. "Are you ready to go now?"

Both of them nodded. "We were actually sent to come get you; Caius wants us arriving at the same time so we can arouse a bigger reaction from the crowd. Apparently there are many vampires here, at least the ones who are close friends to the Volturi. They are anxious to see us."

Knowing that _they_ would never be considered friends of the Volturi after Aro found out what they had done to me, I felt calm. I had worried for a few days, night and day, about Evie and Noah having to meet them. They weren't exaggerating before; vampires from all over the world were here to celebrate our birth. Because of us, there had been more peace in our society. Tonight though… it would be the first time anyone not on our hunted list or were not part of the guard would see us. No one knows what we look like.

"I guess he wants a good show, then," I murmured and hooked my arm through Noah's. Evie did the same on his opposite arm. "Come now, we must go and show the world who we truly are."

We took our time walking; there was no need to hurry. No one had to sleep so the party would go on through the night and possibly all the next day. They were having their own fun without us and a few more minutes wouldn't hurt them.

I thought about how this was sort of a new start for me. Over the past hundred years, I had most certainly grown. I had my children to thank for that. Being a mother helped me to grow up, to become even more independent, despite my large family. I had learned to lean on myself and only myself, unless something terrible happened. I had also learned that my feelings were nothing to the means of my family; they came first, always.

I wasn't the same girl as before.

When we arrived in front of the closed doors to the hall, I stopped my children and put a finger to my lips, telling them to be silent. I wrapped my shield around them so no one would know we were coming and then motioned to Noah to tell Aro we were here.

Noah's gift was special. He had the ability to push thoughts into someone's mind. It didn't matter if they were a shield, or were being shielded; he was invincible with his power. When he was a child, he was only able to do it through the palm of his hand and it was only images he could push in. Now, he was able to project it to anyone as well as I could project my shield, and he was able to literally talk into a person's mind.

Evie's gift was unique as well. While Noah put thoughts and images into someone's mind, Evangeline could produce an illusion so powerful that no one could break it or see underneath of it. If she wanted, she could have made herself look like a man who was seven feet tall and had crooked teeth, tanned skin, and white eyes; not a soul would know it was her.

Aro had a theory when we discovered what both could do. He thought that maybe they had combined _his_ ability and mine, and literally twisted them around. Both were impenetrable yet never able to be ignored. This was probably because of how strong my shield is and how _he_ could read everyone's mind, except mine.

Strong might be an understatement for my power. Nothing can affect me, except for strength of another vampire. When I was human, it was only those who had gifts that dealt with the mind that couldn't affect me. After Heidi had changed me into a vampire, the shield had become unbelievably stronger to the point where even gifts dealing in the physical world couldn't track me. We had tried this out with Demetri; Aro hid me in Asia and told him to track me. After a month, he finally gave up. His exact words made me giggle.

"It's like she was completely wiped off the face of the world," he had told Aro.

We had also worked with Renata, Aro's personal shield. She couldn't stop me at all. I was able to walk right past her without a blink of an eye. Later, we traveled around looking for a seer; it was hard since Alice Cullen was the only one known. Soon enough though, we found one and tested the theory. All he could see was me as a human and dying an accidental death. It puzzled us at first but then realized that it was what Evie had come up with in the womb.

Yes; they were that smart before they were born.

A slight bell rung through the hall, silencing the murmurs of vampires. Aro then spoke allowed. "Welcome; welcome my friends and loved ones! Tonight we have asked you to join us to celebrate the first century of three members of my family. They have been a great service to rely on and I think of them as my own children. I am pleased to see them grow with us and keep our world protected, as it should be. Tonight will be the first for a good many of you to see our prestigious ones as we have kept their lives a secret. Now, we would wish to introduce you to them and invite you to celebrate their birth."

We took that as our signal to come in as two of the guards pulled the heavy doors opened. We sauntered in with grace as applause erupted in the hall. Vampires from all over smiled and cheered for us as we smiled and waved. Noah unlocked his arms from mine and Evie's before wrapping them around our waists. He guided us through the path way they had cleared for us and I noticed that despite this being for us, Noah was still protective and alert.

Aro gestured for us to come up the stone steps so I broke rank first. I glided up the stairs and held my hand out to Aro. He kissed the top of my hand and then pulled me into a gentle hug before releasing me and hugging Evie. He then shook Noah's hand while Caius hugged Evie and me. Evie was excited to see Caius' appraise; she accepted him as the prominent man figure and Caius was more than happy to play the father role. Marcus had treated Evie like she was his granddaughter but took Noah under his wings to guide him into being a man. And Aro? Well, he was the goofy uncle I wish I had when I was growing up.

Aro held up his hand to silence the clapping as we turned to face the crowd. I looked over everyone more clearly; every woman was in a dress and every man wore a suit and cloak. Each outfit was black with a spark of color. They each looked perfect.

"Before we begin the actual festivities, I would like to present the Swan Coven with a gift for their services from my brothers and me. This gift will bestow on them the same respect that you give us, and will require complete silence."

My curiosity peaked, along with my children's. We looked at each other, our eyes asking silent questions. None of us knew about this.

Felix came up with a velvet box in hand, his steps slow and steady. When his gaze met mine, he winked and smirked; I could only wonder what was going on. I looked back out to the crowd of people and found Heidi in the back with the same expression. She held up her hand and gave me a thumb's up in support. So did Demetri, Alec, and Jane; obviously, all of my friends knew about this.

Aro opened the box slightly and then looked at me with an adoring smile. "Isabella, come here please," he murmured softly. I nodded and came to stand in front of him. "Now kneel."

I did as I was told and kneeled in front of him with Felix's help. Heidi would kill me if I ruined the dress so it was important that he did. Aro touched my cheek gently and lifted my head so that my neck was exposed. I heard the slight gasps from my children and I understood why. Aro had done this exact same technique when he had to kill someone dear to him.

"Isabella, you are the leader of your coven. You have brought them into our world," quite literally, "and led them to us. The three of you have done great deeds for us in the order to protect our secret. Not only are you my best warrior but I think of you as my own daughter as I have watched you grow since your rebirth. I hope you will take this as a token as forever being welcomed into my family and a guarantee of protection for you and your family," he murmured.

He stepped back and took something small out of the box. He knelt down in front of me and all I felt were his icy hands on my neck. After a second of silence and another second with the sound of a snapping noise, he stood back up and held out his hands to me. I took them gratefully and he helped me off the floor before handing me a square thin object. I turned it over and discovered it was a mirror.

Hanging on the same chain that my crest was attached to was a small pendant. On the pendant was a silver V and hanging from that was a ruby teardrop, so delicately sculpted that it seemed like it would be crushed between my fingers if I touched it. I inhaled a sip of air as I realized that Aro had just given me the modernized version of the Volturi's crest. This was big in our society. If you had this, you were somewhat considered nobility, even royalty if you were exceptionally closed to the Volturi princes. I looked up at Aro in shock but he only smiled. He tilted his head and I stepped back as he gestured for my children to come forth. He hooked an identical crest to mine on Evie's chain and then clipped another to Noah's band.

When Aro promised security for my family, I thought it would be the same always. I was wrong. This crest just labeled us as untouchable; any harm to us was now punishable by death and death alone.

The room erupted into cheers yet again as Aro hugged Noah, Evie, and then me. I felt like I was in shock… was it even possible for vampires to go into shock? I don't know, nor do I care. If I was human, I would be crying.

"Now, as that is done, we will mock our human neighbors by singing the birthday song to our three celebrants!" Aro exclaimed with glee as he held up his hands. The vampires laughed but sang it; the whole song was in perfect tune and not a note was missed. They would outshine the world's most perfect choir any day.

I had a feeling that if this had been a hundred years ago, my face would be as red and hot as lava. I don't think I would have mind it, seeing that Evie would have been the same.

When they were done, everyone clapped once more before the orchestra played. Servers in white and black tie walked around with wine glasses full of a crimson liquid that tickled the back of my throat. I only needed half of a guess to know what it was.

While Noah and Evie talked to a few people, I excused myself to go see Heidi. The bronze haired woman was leaning against the back wall with a glass in her hand and her lips stained red. When I finally broke through and got to her, I snatched the glass and took a gulp.

"I love you an all but come on, get your own drink;" she whined and took the goblet back. I grinned and leered at her.

"You knew. That whole time, you knew what Aro was going to do," I stated. She shrugged; she knew she couldn't deny it. Someone would have slipped that she did eventually.

"It was a secret, not to mention a gift from all of us."

I nodded and threw my arms around her. I whispered my thanks in her ear before an arm wrapped around my waist and pulled me away from my best friend. Before I could speak to find out who my suitor was, he spun me around and I found the face of a very smug Demetri. I glared at him playfully.

"That was rude. I was in the middle of a conversation," I murmured and gently slapped his chest. He rolled his eyes and moved my arms to wrap around his neck before doing the same to my waist. We swayed at first before moving into an actual dance.

Another perk of being one of the undead: I could dance without killing anyone.

"Heidi will get her moment with you later, I am sure. I wanted to steal your first dance tonight. I think I had reserved that right without it being said but still, just in case you forgot," he murmured and brushed the tip of his nose up the length of my neck. I shivered involuntarily.

Demetri and I had developed something years ago. At first it was just a bunch of lame pickup lines and flirting on his part but soon enough, he cornered me. Though at the time I had still not recovered from heart break, he promised me nothing but smiles and good feelings. We didn't love each other; we just somewhat dated from time to time, most of it being when one of us needed the other. We were each other's distractions.

"Stop being a flirt," I whispered. "Others will hear."

"Let them," he murmured and kissed a soft spot beneath my ear. I shivered again; it was a strange feeling, being so human. I haven't been human in a century yet here I was, feeling these humane emotions. Maybe it's a good thing I can't sleep.

"My children are watching," I whispered low enough that the words were barely audible. Only Demetri would hear me; that was my goal. No one outside the Volturi could figure out that they weren't actual vampires yet.

"They're grown; they understand," He said as he gently bit my skin. I sighed and leaned my head on his shoulder. I knew I wasn't going to win this argument; Demetri was just as stubborn as I was most of the time.

The orchestra changed to a new song that would have taken my breath away if I were human. It seemed so perfect, the beginning showing something terrible before working its way up to being soft and comforting.

Demetri and I twirled to the music, our graceful bodies gliding more than prancing. Those who were close to us, moved out of the way, pushing back into others and forcing them to move. Soon, we had claimed the entire dance floor to ourselves as we danced to the music. Our bodies turned into the notes of the instruments, increasing as the orchestra did before hitting the climax of the composure. Demetri dropped me into an arch and brought me back up into a stance slowly as the climax then turned into a soft melody. He only held my hand, letting me dance on my own to the soft lullaby. In the back of my mind, I couldn't help but understand why Aro had them place this piece; it fit my life to the tip.

Would this be my official song? My calling theme?

Vampires from every direction applauded our performance with glee and cheer. I smiled shyly, bowing my head to them in respect before turning to look at Demetri. The male vampire flashed me a smile that showed he was proud of me.

"You are most beautiful, Isabella Marie Swan."

* * *

The song I wrote Bella and Demetri's dance song to was the Twilight overture... I think. It's been a while. Anyways, let me know what you guys think! Thanks!


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

"Now that everyone is gone, we can be at peace!" Aro said, clapping his hands once. The brothers returned to their thrones after the cleanup commenced and the rest of us took our lingering spots through the hall as usual. Mine was with my children at the steps before the thrones.

It wasn't that we preferred to sit on the stone steps. This was our usual guard spot, front and center. Because we were the Volturi's personal guards, it was best that we put ourselves before them. Not only did we serve as a warning, it gave me the advantage of always having my shield around them. It also gave time for Noah and Evie to act.

"At times like this, I wish I needed sleep," Noah muttered as he sprawled out across the marble steps. He laid his head in my lap, giving me the chance to distract myself with his hair.

"It's your own fault, moron. You ate too much human food with about five or six goblets of blood. We told you not to mix too much," Evie chuckled as she sat down on the opposite side of me. She leaned her head against my shoulder, snuggling close, so I wrapped my arm around her shoulders to hold her close.

We were pretty tight as a family. There weren't any secrets in the Swan Coven, only open thoughts and shared emotions. If we had a disagreement or an argument, we talked about it. I had tried my best with the help of others to raise my children with manners and respect for family. When we visited Charlie, he would help me too but still managed to spoil them a little. It was the same with the pack; after they had accepted what happened, they had played a major part in the kids' lives as they grew up.

"I think now is the time to discuss some things, don't you agree brothers?" Aro's voice had broken my concentration, causing me to look over my shoulder at the three Volturi brothers. Aro stood again and looked down at me. "Isabella, we have a… an assignment for your family again."

I gently nudged my children away from me and stood up. I did it slowly so I didn't tear the beautiful gown and then walked up the steps to Aro. He held his hand to me and I took once I reached the top, lifting my shield in the process. I could feel Aro prodding my mind, looking through all of my thoughts.

"You are doing well, my beautiful Isabella," he murmured. I closed my eyes, ignoring the soft throb of pain in my chest. I knew exactly what he was talking about; I still wasn't over the pain I had endured a century ago. It was nowhere near what it used to be; now it was just a sad memory I wish I could just forget.

I'll never forget though.

"I think you'll be okay with this assignment, Isabella. You are my strongest, my leader," Aro continued. "I wish for you to return to Forks, Washington."

My eyes snapped open the moment I heard the first syllable. Behind me, I could hear my children spring to their feet. "Forks?" I asked hesitantly. I haven't been there since Charlie's funeral. That was the last time and I didn't think I would go back.

Caius nodded from his place behind Aro. "There is a group of rogues causing too much trouble. They're killing freely and in one area. We feel that you and your family would do well to handle them."

"How many?" I asked. My shield went back up, guarding my emotions from Aro and the rest of the world. Aro frowned slightly and dropped my hand, knowing that my emotions had changed by how my voice had turned professional.

"Six, maybe seven; that is, if they haven't created anymore," Marcus explained.

"As much as I hate to admit it, it might take more than just my family to take out that many," I murmured. Aro nodded and smiled again.

"That is why Heidi, Demetri, and Felix will be joining you. We think they have them close to the high school because of the age of the rogues so you and your children will be enrolling into school. The others will act as your guardians, older siblings if you will, since they are too old to pass as students. "

I wanted to strangle somebody. It was probably fate's sick way of punishing me, sending me through high school again. It was bad enough the first time but to go through it again… that was a slap in a face, alright.

"So we get to attend high school?" Evie asked excitedly. I rolled my eyes; of course she was. No doubt Noah was too; neither of them had attended school before. I had taught them everything.

"You've already been enrolled. House has been bought, too. All you need to do is personalize it to your liking."

I suppressed a whimper. They had this all planned out and only now are they telling us. "Fine," I murmured as I met Aro's gaze. "We'll do the assignment. But I want to compromise since you know how hard this will be for me."

Marcus nodded while Caius smiled softly. "Anything for you Isabella."

"I want our cars delivered there. If I have to stay there, I want my car. I'll need it for when I need to distract myself," I explained. It was a fair compromise too. They knew how much my car meant to me; the same with my kids.

For our fiftieth birthdays, Aro gave us three cars, all beautiful and glossy. Noah was given a Hennessey _Venom GT Spyder_ , a tiny black sports car that stood only inches off the ground, if that. It would only hold two people but he loved it. Evie was given a white Lamborghini _Gallardo_ with red leather inside. It fit her innocent look yet made her a devil on the streets. She drove almost as fast as I did.

Then there was my car, my precious baby. Aro had picked it out especially for me; his reason was it conveyed the power and elegance I possessed. I didn't agree but I loved the black Bugatti _Veyron_ as if it were a third child.

"That can easily be arranged. Any other requests, dearest?" Aro asked. He was amused by my antics.

I thought for a moment then nodded. "Can we do a bit of shopping beforehand? I prefer Italian clothing to American," I said.

"Consider it approved; get as much as you would like. You know how much we approve of style," Caius chuckled. I smiled gently at him as I nodded. It was true, too; those of the Volturi were vain. Beauty and impressions were as important as being deadly.

"When do we leave Aro?" Noah asked.

"Tomorrow night. We want to rid ourselves of this problem as soon as possible," he answered. I nodded and turned to my children.

"Well… I guess we should get some shopping done then."

Heidi decided to come with us since she would be designing the house. She took Noah with her to order furniture for all of us while Evie and I went shopping for clothing. That was a fine choice for all of us; Noah hated shopping with us and since I was a similar size to Heidi with the same taste in style, we often shared our wardrobe.

My daughter, on the other hand, was similar to what I was like as a human. She wasn't a fanatic about shopping, and preferred modest and comfortable over style and beauty. I was perfectly okay with that, because she still picked out the prettiest clothing.

"What about this, mama?" She asked quietly, holding up a floor length black skirt. It was made of some kind of netting material that reminded me of fairies.

"Go try it on, see how it looks on you. I'm sure it'll be fantastic," I responded with an encouraging smile. My daughter blushed brightly and nodded before dashing off to the changing rooms, skirt still in hand.

I don't think she knew how much I loved being called 'mama'. The kids rarely did now, especially since they looked a tiny bit older than I did, but sometimes Evie would when it was just us. Noah only did when he was scared out of his mind or if Evie was trying to get revenge on him from one of his pranks.

Like I said, we were a close family but sometimes I think I was closer to Evie than I was to Noah. Was it the gender difference? Maybe; but also Noah was outgoing and erratic. Evie was more like I was as a human: humble, quiet, and sort of an introvert. The only difference? My baby was beautiful and nowhere near as klutzy.

A special item of clothing caught my attention, stealing me away from my thoughts. It was a leather jacket, black and form fitting with silver décor. It screamed attention and style, making me move closer for a better look. I picked it up and brushed my fingers down the soft leather as I closed my eyes. I inhaled, taking in its crisp scent.

"Why don't you try it on, mama?"

I turned around to see Evie, wearing the long skirt beautifully, and tilted my head. "Do you think it will look alright?"

Evie shrugged. "Everything seems to look good on you, mama. That fits your style though; you'll have those human boys drooling at your feet. They won't be able to resist you."

My laugh sounded the same as the day I was awakened. It shimmered like twinkling bells, a soprano pitch with an alto echo. I was blessed, as so many had kindly reminded me, to have a beautiful voice.

"Do you think so, Evie? Will human boys not be intimidated enough by me already? Will they find me irresistible?" I asked teasingly. She blushed and nodded. I leaned forward and kissed her forehead; there was no way in my life that I could not love her. "We shall see. I think they will fancy you more though; you are most beautiful."

"Mama, you know I don't like human boys," she whispered. I nodded slowly; she had had a bad experience during a mission in South Africa. A boy, one barely older than her, tried to take advantage of her.

Needless to say, her brother and I did not allow him to live.

"He was a terrible person, Evangeline. Not all human boys are like him. I knew a few from when I was human and they were perfectly fine, aside from immature mindsets. But then again, look at your brother; he is half vampire yet still like human males." I explained softly. Evie nodded and leaned her forehead against my shoulder for a second before standing straight, composing her emotions back into order.

"I think you should wear that on the first day of school. We'll pick out an entire outfit to go with it, accessories and shoes included."

"Only if we can do the same with that skirt; it looks beautiful on you, Eve," I compromised. Evie blushed once again but nodded. I could tell she loved the skirt.

An hour later, we each had an entire outfit picked out and tried on. We both stood in front of the mirror to see what we had picked out and neither of us could stop smiling. To go with her skirt, Evie had picked out a lacy pink blouse with three-quarter sleeves and a simple scoop neck outline. It was longer but overlapped the skirt in a good way. Her shoes were silver gladiator sandals that had become so popular again and matching bangles hung from both wrists. Around her neck were our crests. She looked as sweet as an angel with a smile to match.

My outfit was on the opposite spectrum of hers, anything but sweet and angelic. Underneath my jacket was a deep red tank top in a similar lace pattern to her shirt but nowhere near as long. To go with the jacket, I had on a pair of leather pants that fit snug and low on my hips. My shoes were flat combat boots that laced over the pants tightly. I also bore the crest but nothing was on my wrists; instead, Evie picked out a ring. On the ring was a dove shaped out of silver and opal stones.

"It's as sparkly as your skin, mama," Evie whispered. I looked down at the ring and smiled as it reflected the lights.

"Perfect fit then, I guess. Now come on, let's get changed and check out so we can go to a few other stores. We only have one outfit out of a whole wardrobe picked out," I said teasingly. Evie giggled and nodded before starting to change. Afterwards, we were off.

After four hours and a couple thousand dollars later, Evie and I had finished our shopping spree. It was a lot, I'll admit; the car was packed with bags upon bags. We ran out of room within the last hour so we started filling Noah's trunk with them.

"Jesus, how much did you to buy?" He asked when he and Heidi met up with us at our cars. He wasn't shocked; we had done worse damage in the past but he was still amused.

"What; are you planning on showing the poor people of Forks what they missed in the last century or something, Bells?" Heidi asked with a slight chuckle. She pulled down her glasses, revealing blood red irises that glowed from a recent feeding. I rolled my eyes.

"Did you at least clean up after yourself?" I questioned, ignoring her statement.

"He won't remember a thing except for how he got a giant hickey from a lonely woman in need of some lovin'. He'll have a bit of explaining to do because of your boy here," Heidi answered, patting my son on the back. Noah rolled his eyes and loaded her few bags into the back seat of his car.

I was sort of proud of Heidi. Not because of the fact that she used my son like that but because she fed without having to kill. Ever since I had figured out tricks to stop feeding, our death rate among the guard declined. The only ones who killed their meals still were the Princes and occasionally Jane and Alec.

But soon my thoughts were in another direction as I got into the car with my daughter; I would be returning to where my life began in only a short amount of time. So much had changed since I left and I didn't know how much of it was for the good. All I could assume was that there was one person I needed to visit before I got settled in and see if he was still a wolf.

* * *

Hot damn. I legitimately haven't opened my computer for a week. Gotta love work. Anyway! Here is chapter six. Let me know your thoughts. 


	7. Chapter 7

"We will miss you," Jane said as she patted my shoulder. Today was one of the few days Jane dressed like a human and stepped out of Volterra with means other than business. She had sunglasses on to hide her eyes but other than that, she blended in well as a child.

"We'll miss you too, Jane; all of you," I replied. Evie nodded her head eagerly and stepped forward, enveloping Jane in a hug. Out of my family, she was the most physically affectionate.

"But we'll be home soon; Rogues don't take that long to get rid of," Noah added. Jane nodded and then waved to Heidi. Heidi looked bored but waved back.

"Cheer up kid; now that Bella's out of the picture for a bit of time, you'll be top dog again," Heidi teased. Jane cracked a rare smile before wishing us off when the announcement came over air that our plane was boarding.

"Alright gang, to Forks, Washington it is!" Noah cheered. I grabbed Evie's hand and followed her brother onto the plane with Heidi following behind. Demetri and Felix had taken an earlier flight to make sure all of the deliveries, including our cars, made it there undamaged.

"Sadly," I muttered softly to myself. Evie squeezed my hand encouragingly with a soft smile. I could read the request in her eyes; she wanted me to try and be positive. I nodded once though I wasn't sure if I could follow through with this. It would be hard going back. Hard and painful.

The last time I was in Forks was for Charlie's funeral. I had buried him yet no one knew it was me because to them, Bella Swan was long dead from a tragic accident. The whole time, Evie had kept me under her charm, disguised as one of Jacob's cousins. I had watched my elderly mother cry, not only because her first love was gone but because Charlie was buried next to a plate that showed my own demise.

The only ones who knew I was there were the wolves. And I hadn't seen them since.

"Do you think Jake and the boys will still be young looking?" Noah asked as we took our seats in the private section of the plane. Evie sat next to her brother while Heidi sat next to me.

I shrugged in response. "Depends on how long vampires have been there. They stop aging when their near La Push. For all we know, the pack could be a new generation and Jake's one of the elders."

"Didn't the rest pass?" Heidi asked. I was sort of shocked by her interest. She hated the wolves almost as much as Caius did.

"I'm pretty sure. Billy and Sue passed on soon after Charlie. The others were older than them so I'm pretty sure they're dead. I wonder if Sam's still Alpha though," Evie murmured. She had grown close to the boys when I let them visit, especially Sam. They were her adopted older brothers.

"Well, we will find out soon enough," Noah murmured as he settled into his seat. None of us bothered to put on our seatbelts as the plane went to take off. The jolt barely affected us.

"One question Bells… how are we going to feed in such a small time? This isn't a day and over mission," Heidi commented. I frowned; we hadn't thought about it.

"I'll have to feed regularly if I'm attending school so I'll probably hunt animals too… we'll have to go to different cities to hunt humans though. You and the guys could probably go to Port Angeles one weekend and then to Seattle another one. You could even go out of state if need be, like to Portland… we just can't cause more trouble with the rogues already on the loose."

Heidi made a sound of disgust and I couldn't blame her. Hunting animals was disgusting; they tasted stale and rancid. Not to mention, the whole act reminded me too much of _them_. I realized though it had to be done; I couldn't just attack a kid in the middle of school. It would be hard enough after a century of drinking from humans.

"We'll refrain from hunting all together, I guess. I'm sure we could last without it for a few weeks," Evie murmured hesitantly. I shook my head in response.

"No, absolutely not; you two should hunt with me because you'll need to keep up your strength especially. I can't have either of you getting hurt," I replied.

"Animals?" Noah asked with a sullen expression.

Again, I shook my head. "No. You two will have to work together to feed on humans. Animals won't give you the energy you'll need. Can you both feed without killing anyone?"

"It should be pretty easy for them Bella. Noah was able to cover up my hunts so with both of their gifts, they should be okay."

"We'll be okay," Evie added to Heidi's words. I nodded and stared out at the window. We were getting farther and farther off the ground. I couldn't help but think something would go wrong with this. Something would happen.

By the time we got to the house I had spent so much of my time at, it was nightfall. Out front stood an overly tall man, probably in his mid twenties; he stared at the car as we put it in park with curious eyes. I cut the engine and told everyone else to wait as I got out of the car.

"Either I'm dead or I'm seeing a ghost," the man chuckled. I had that laugh imprinted on my memory and couldn't help but shut the driver side door and walk closer.

"Come on Jake, we both know ghosts don't exist," I replied. His lips spread into a wide grin and soon, the giant wolf was running at me full speed. In the next feel seconds, I was wrapped in his arms and off the ground.

"Bella Swan, how dare you show your face around here after so many fucking years of going MIA on us," he growled and set me back down on the ground. I still stayed in his arms with my head against his chest. His hot skin burned my cheek.

"I missed you too, Jake," I murmured and peered up at him. I felt like he had grown even more; that or I had gotten smaller.

"Where's the two squirts?" he asked as he peered at the car. I peeked over my shoulder and waved for them to get out. Evie was the first one to jump out and I knew to back off.

"JACOB!" Evie shouted as she launched herself into his arms. Jacob swung her around like her had done to me.

"Hey Evers! Damn, look at you," he chuckled and kissed her forehead gently. As per usual, Evie blushed, especially at her old nickname.

Jake didn't bother to put my daughter down when he looked up to greet my slow approaching son. He merely shifted her to one side, never letting her feet touch the dirt, and held out his hand to Noah. Noah shook his hand and nodded. They're relationship was more professional.

"So, I'm going to guess your reason for being here deals with the murders on the trails?" Jacob asked as Evie snuggled against his chest. I had a feeling she still had a slight crush on him.

I nodded. "Yeah; Aro said they gained a few more vampires and the murders are too frequent so he sent us to 'intervene'. We'll be here for a while," I answered. "I thought I would stop by though, just to see if you were still a freaking giant and all," I added teasingly, making his grin turn sly.

"Been this way ever since you left; guess vampires can't just stay away from this area," Jake explained. "Do you guys want to come in?"

Noah shook his head and looked back at the car. "Heidi's with us. She's in a bad enough mood just being here," he muttered. Jacob chuckled and looked at me.

"Plus we have to get settled in. Don't worry though, we'll be back. I'll bring them over so we can see the rest of the pack," I added. Jacob nodded and sat Evie back down.

"Promise me Bells; you aren't going to just leave without telling me again, are you?"

I flinched internally and felt guilt for leaving the last time. I hadn't said a word; just disappeared on a plane and never game back. "No Jake; I promise I won't leave like that again."

We parted ways in the next few minutes. It was hard because there was so much to catch up on. Noah had to literally pry his sister off Jake and forced her into the car. Both of us laughed and after one last hug, I got back into the car.

"I don't know how you stand the smell, Bella," Heidi hissed as I pulled out of the driveway, making me laugh.

"Love tends to diffuse it, Heidi," I replied. The rest of the car ride was quiet, apart from the music that Noah had turned on. The soft voice of Florence Welch whispered from the back and side speakers, keeping us all silent and trapped with thoughts.

Seeing Jake again was a miracle and probably made me a little bit more positive about the mission. I knew I could rely on him, especially since he had no hard feelings. It also made me happy that I wouldn't have to deal with new wolves.

"Whoa… that's the house?" Noah asked when I pulled down a deserted driveway. Fifteen minutes in, a giant cabin styled house was revealed. Leave it to Aro to still manage style in the middle of the woods.

"Nice," Heidi added with a smirk. I parked the car out front and all of us hopped out. We were greeted by Demetri and Felix, both dressed in regular jeans and t-shirts. I waved to them and tossed the keys to Felix.

"You think this is nice, wait until you see the inside. It's magnificent," Demetri murmured as he joined my side. I grinned and laced my fingers into his hand. He pulled me close and pressed his lips to my temple.

"Mom, cut it out; we're your children here," Noah whined. I chuckled and after pecking Demetri's cheek, I nudged him away. _Later_ , I mouthed, making him grin.

"Sorry," I muttered and pulled away to pat my son on the head. Noah frowned and rolled his eyes. I looked back at Demetri over my shoulder and smiled. "Are the cars safe and sound?" I questioned.

He nodded and gestured to the giant garage a few yards off to the side of the house. I giggled and turned back to the twins. "No drives out on the main roads tonight but you can take them around here. Don't get them muddy though; we start school tomorrow and I don't want to waste my time washing them off tonight," I said. Both of them grinned and ran to the garages eagerly.

"Sneaky," Demetri purred in my ear. I shrank into him and let his arms wind around my waist.

"You keep this up and I'll feel awfully awkward introducing you to humans as my older brother," I groaned. He laughed quietly and pressed his lips to my neck. "You're teasing, D."

"Well I did manage to get all the rooms set up…" he whispered. I rolled my eyes and chuckled.

"I am not sleeping with you. You know I draw the line at that; fooling around, sure, but not that. I'm still not ready." I expected him to roll his eyes and protest but he didn't. Instead he buried his face in my neck and continued to kiss my skin. I sighed and played with his hair.

"I have forever to wait," he murmured. Forever indeed.

* * *

Hey guys, sorry for the wait! I've had a few situations that took up waaay too much personal time. Anyway, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!


	8. Chapter 8

Leave it to my family to start a fight at seven in the morning. I mean really, who else does that besides my kids? No one I have ever encountered.

"But my car is way cooler than yours! Yours will stick out because it's so freaking bright!" Noah growled at Evie. Evie, my usually humble and sweet little girl, looked like she wanted to tear her twin's throat out.

"Ha, you have got to be joking. Every head will turn when they see you pull up in your car. At least mine is sensible to see in the US; the only people who have the same car as you are old rock stars from Hollywood and London!" She argued, nudging her brother roughly in the shoulder.

"Oh please-"

That was my cue to step in. I got between them, easily pushing them away from each other. They growled at one another and I swear within the next microsecond, Noah would have gone for her eyes. "Enough, both of you," I hissed. I could hear my Heidi and the guys in the house, laughing quietly.

"Mom, she won't give in," Noah whined.

"That's because she has a point. Though I'll admit we can't really blend in with any of our cars, yours is the flashiest Noah. You'll attract attention like gnats to honey. At least with a Lamborghini… a lot of west coast people have cars like that. About an hour or two down south, you run into all the vineyards and the owners have cars like that. Not too many have a Hennessey, sweetie."

Noah muttered under his breath how it wasn't fair. I felt his pain; I would be upset if I couldn't drive my baby too.

"I'll make you a deal, Noah," I murmured. "If you let Evie take her car, every Friday you can take yours to school separately. And when you two go into the cities, you'll take your car. How does that sound?"

I could tell he still was unhappy but he nodded. I smiled gently and kissed his cheek. "Now come on, we can't be late. Believe me, high school is a bitch if you are," I murmured and pulled my keys from my jacket pocket.

"Who am I riding with?" Noah asked as I unlocked my car. I shrugged as I put my bag in the back before closing the door and getting in the driver's seat.

"Whoever you want to, Noah. Just pick," I answered as I started up my car. The engine purred to life, greeting me after a day of no use. "I missed you," I whispered as I pat the dashboard lovingly.

Noah decided to ride with his sister, leaving me and my car alone. I was okay with that; it meant I could listen to whatever I wanted without having my son tell me what to turn on or off. I pulled out of the garage first and beeped my horn three times to tell the others we were leaving. I heard them shout their farewells and behind me, Evie pulled out.

I turned on the radio and set the volume high, letting the alternative music block out my thoughts. I started to sing along when I got out onto the main roads and then I was off with my children following behind. I didn't speed; I took my time driving. I didn't want to get there too early and anyway, I was in no hurry to get there.

Soon though, my ride came to an end when I approached a wooden sign, claiming the grounds as property of Forks High School. I pulled into the parking lot, already full of students waiting for the morning bell, and watched as everyone turned their heads to follow my entrance. Evie pulled up only seconds later and parked next to me when I found two spots together. I sighed, took a deep breath, and cut the engine.

I repeated what I had done a hundred and two years ago, where it all began, and got out of the car with my head down. As I got my bag out of the back, I could hear my father taunting me from wherever he was. I could hear all of them laughing at how fate decided to be a bitch. I could imagine their words completely. _Welcome back to hell, Bells_.

I could hear their whispers; feel their stares on my back, as I walked to meet my children. Evie gave me a sympathetic smile and hooked her arm through mine. "You look fabulous," She whispered in my ear and glanced shyly at the rest of the students. All of them had turned their heads to us, some whispering to their friends while others were speechless.

Maybe I shouldn't have chosen this kind of outfit. Maybe I should have tried to blend in more like Evie and Noah. I couldn't though; I would still look inhuman to the mortals and be the center of attention.

"My eyes aren't red, are they?" I asked. Evie shook her head as we walked to greet Noah, who cut between us. He wrapped his arms around our shoulders, holding us close protectively.

"No," Evie whispered back. "Everyone thinks your eyes are brown, like when you were human."

I nodded and sniffed lightly. The air was crisp and cleansed with the faint smell coming off the bodies. It made my throat burn but not terribly. I could control it. I would be okay.

 _"Dude! Look at the two chicks."_

 _"Look at the cars those two were driving; they're equally amazing."_

 _"Who's the dude? Brother? God damn, he's a lucky bastard."_

 _"Supermodels? In Forks? What the hell?!"_

 _"Oh they…they're beautiful! What's with all of these gorgeous people showing up? Think they are related?"_

 _"What? No. Well… I don't know, they could be. All of them look the same; that pale skin, sexy bodies, gorgeous eyes… They could be related. Distantly, maybe."_

 _"I don't know, Maddy. But all I know is that the one in the leather… damn. She's hot and she probably knows it."_

 _"Maybe but I don't think so; she looks shy."_

 _"Think I'll have a chance with one of the girls, bro?"_

 _"Not a chance; I'll be getting both of them in my bed tonight."_

"Oh hell no," I growled lowly to myself. Evie laughed while Noah frowned.

"Mama, relax; he's too ugly for us anyways. But did you hear the one? There are others like us. That means there are other vampires," Evie whispered. I stopped walking for a moment and looked at her with wide eyes.

"The rogues enrolled in high school?"

Noah wrinkled his nose. "I guess it is easier bait for them. They did say the victims were young."

I nodded though felt queasy. Having to go with school with them would make it a lot easier to stop a fight from happening. But surely, they wouldn't try anything during school hours, would they?

"Come on, we need to stop in the office before first period," Evie murmured and started to pull us along to the front entrance. I moved to stand in front of them; last night we had decided I would be the talkative one, kind of like the oldest.

Our story was that we were triplets from Italy but we travel around the world with our older siblings. Our parents were diplomats to foreign countries and had big investments in the wine and Italian auto industry, hence the reasoning for our cars. We chose to stick with our true last name, just in case one of us slipped, and expanded on our personalities. It was harder on Noah and Evie because they couldn't call me mom until we were at home and away from the others. 'Mom' and 'dad' was somewhere in Asia at the moment.

Luckily, our stories weren't that different from the real us.

I pushed the entrance to the main entrance slowly and peeked inside. Hardly anything had changed. Most was the same, except for a few furniture replacements and different posters. The receptionist looked like the one that had worked here, an eerie thought, but was older with silver hair. She looked up and when she saw us, she paused in mid-sentence. Of course; we dazzled humans.

"Hello," I murmured with a sly smile. Time to act, Bella. "We're the Swan triplets… our older siblings enrolled us days ago? We would like to get our schedules and information."

"Of course!" The woman scurried around the office, looking for our folders. I couldn't help but smile a little softer. Humans could be so adorable at times.

She finally found the folders and brought them over to me. I took them and then distributed them to my children. I smiled again at the receptionist and then turned to compare schedules. Felix had requested for Aro that Evie and I could be placed in the same schedules so she could keep her glamour over me. Thankfully, our schedules were identical.

Noah was in most of our classes except for right before lunch, gym class afterwards, and last period. He was alright with that; he was more sociable than Evie and was more excited to go off on his own.

"Since we know they're in school, keep an eye open for them. I don't know how they're blending in but still; they shouldn't be that hard to spot if the whole school is amazed with them," I instructed quietly. Both nodded and then I turned back to the woman.

"Thank you so much for being so kind to us," I murmured. The woman only stared before muttering a quick reply. We then left the room and looked around at the campus. "It really hasn't changed at all. All they did was paint."

"Maybe it won't be so bad, mom. I mean, the students seem shocked enough to stay away and the teachers should be no different. We might even have a little bit of fun, you know? Just relax," Noah coached. I inhaled slowly, taking in the surrounding scents. My thirst was pretty much under control enough that the burn was minimal.

"We should start heading to first period. We don't want to be late," Evie murmured. I agreed and looked at our schedules. We were assigned first period, Psychology. I wondered whether Felix had just picked that to mess with my head or if he just said to give us a random schedule.

I led the way to building three, where social sciences were held. It wasn't that far of a walk but it annoyed me to walk as slow as a human. I could have been there in seconds had I gone at my own pace but that would give away what we are.

Five slow minutes later, we were in front of our classroom. There were a few students inside so thought it would be okay if we went inside. Conversations died as they spotted us but the teacher waited a few minutes to look up. Her jaw dropped.

This woman was the type of woman Aro would approve of. Dressed in a crisp black suit, a feminine white blouse, and simple black pumps, she was classy and professional. Her hair was the same as her clothing; she had it styled into a simple yet sophisticated blonde pixie cut that made her hazel eyes shine.

"You must be the Swan triplets," the teacher murmured. I nodded and stepped forward, offering her my hand. She took it and after an initial reaction to my temperature, she shook it.

"I am Isabella. This is my sister Evangeline and my brother Noah," I responded softly. The human leaned down as if to listen carefully. She smiled nervously and dropped my hand.

"Nice to meet you all," she said as she glanced at my children quickly. Her eyes soon returned to mine. "I am Miss Kott. We have three open seats but first, I would like to do an activity to introduce you and your family to the class. Since Psychology is all about the human mind and behavior, it would be a good introduction."

"Sounds fantastic," Evie whispered. I knew the idea did not please her a bit.

Miss Kott turned her body toward the class as she spoke. "I need volunteers to bring up chairs for our new classmates. Emmett, Jasper…? Will you please do so?"

A pang of recognition slapped my heart. Even after all this time, simple reminders still hurt, especially at those who I thought were my family. I dared to look up to see the two boys with the similar names and was shocked at the eyes that greeted me. Apparently, they were just as shocked as I was, enough to make them stop in the middle of the class room, arms frozen in mid-air with the chairs in hand.

 _Holy shit_.

* * *

Sorry for the wait! I just started a new job so my mind has been elsewhere. Hope you enjoyed; let me know!


	9. Chapter 9

We were lucky for our reactions. Even though our pause felt like forever in a sense, it was only a slight hesitation to the humans. They wouldn't question it either; they would react the same way if they had to approach three intimidating and unworldly beautiful teenagers.

"Boys, just sit them in the front here, and leave some space in between each spot," Miss Kott further instructed. Emmett and Jasper barely nodded; their golden eyes were solely focused on me and their expressions were screaming confusion, shock, and even a bit of fear. They did as they were told and dropped the stools in their places. Emmett, still burly and huge as ever, set the two he had up for Evie and Noah while Jasper stalked toward me. He bent over slightly, getting in direct line of vision with me as he positioned the stool up right.

"Bella," he whispered the silent noise nonexistent to the teacher who stood barely three feet away from me. I didn't know what to do so I merely inched my head to the right, giving him a curious look. His expression changed to being slightly amused before he joined Emmett's side and walked back to their seats. His reaction pissed me off; he thought joking was alright?

Against my better judgment, I broke one of Aro's most sacred personal rules: I acted on my emotions and pushed my shield forward, only to slam it against his back. Jasper Hale jumped and spun around, startled by the sudden outburst of power. I let my shield come down, letting the anger I felt seep out and wrap around him. His golden eyes widened as he sat down, and I could only imagine the look that was on my face.

From the corner of my right eye, I could see the startled glances of my children. Because they were my kids, they could feel what I felt; there was some kind of weird ass connection between us and they knew exactly what I had done.

 _What the hell is wrong with you, mom?_ Noah's tone was worried. Normally I would scold him for those words but I understood. I was acting out among humans. He didn't understand though; he didn't know what it was like to see them, two people from the family that nearly ruined my life.

When I glanced at Evie though, I automatically knew that she knew as well. She was staring at Jasper and Emmett with such a fierce look. Had she not had prestige control over her emotions, I could only imagine seeing her push her way through the humans and going for their necks. She might be a sweet girl but my baby was a lioness at heart.

"Now let's begin," said the teacher uncomfortably. Maybe she was a sensitive human; there were a few who could go beyond their own species and touch other waves of tension. I thought I was one when I still had a heartbeat. "The three of you will introduce yourself, and then the class will do so. Afterward, each classmate will ask you a question. Though only you three will answer aloud, the rest of the class will write their answers down on a blank sheet of paper. Sound good?"

I nodded, as did my kids and the rest of the class. Miss Kott nodded and walked toward Evie. Placing her hand on my daughter's shoulder, I watched her flinch from the change of temperature. While my internal temperature was colder than ice, Evie and Noah were like Jacob. They were hotter than the normal human body; from what the scientists had told Aro, it had something to do with how their genome was constructed.

"You can start dear," the teacher said. Her voice wavered as she tried to subtly remove her hand from Evie's skin. Evie didn't even notice. Her eyes were still trained on the boys.

"Do I just say my name?"

"And a little bit about you would be nice. Like age, hobbies, something interesting."

Evie nodded and stood. She didn't look away from the Cullen boys until a second before she spoke. "Okay well… My name is Evangeline Swan. The three of us are triplets; we're seventeen, though I'm the youngest. We're from Italy and live here now with our older brothers and sister. I prefer artistic hobbies over anything else, and I'm very, _very_ protective of my family. I don't stand for any trouble that comes to them."

Her last statement set the whole class, even the teacher on edge. Even though her voice was soft and caressing, the threat disguised in there was real and strong. It didn't shock me that her eyes were focused back on the Cullens and even more so that they knew she was talking about them. I was surprised by the gleam in her eyes that shouted predator.

"Okay then…" Miss Kott said rather awkwardly as Evie sat down and then looked at my son with a worried glance. "Your turn, sir."

Noah nodded once and then stood up like his sister had done. Stuffing his hands into his pockets, he took a deep breath and tried to gather his thoughts. Only moments before, Noah had been confident and rather eager to start a new life in Forks. With my sudden outburst and Evie's lingering threat, I could see his resolve had melted into slush and now she was nervous. I wanted to kick myself for doing that to my son but there was nothing I could do about it now.

"So... I'm Noah. I'm the middle child in this group of freaks," he murmured jokingly as he concentrated on the ground in front of him. It was obvious, or only obvious to me, that he was trying to diffuse the tension Evie and I had created. "I'm very close with these two and love spending time with my sisters; you'll rarely see me without at least one of them. I also love travelling around to different places. And uh…I get confused easily."

I couldn't help the grim smile that crossed my lips briefly. I didn't even need to be told how confused he was. It wasn't a wonder I wasn't hearing a billion questions in my mind at the moment.

"Bella?" Noah murmured softly, tearing me from my thoughts. It was strange, hearing my son call me by my name. I would have to get used to it soon but for now, it made me hesitate.

As he sat down, I stood. I looked around the room in a quick once over, gazing at every human but seeing nothing in particular. I keep my gaze away from the back, even after I began to speak. "I'm Isabella; sadly, I'd be considered the oldest. I guess you would say I prefer to keep myself. If I'm not hanging around with my siblings, I am usually working on some kind of car with lots of music. There's really nothing interesting about me so that's about it."

As I took my place back on the stool, there was an awkward silence as the students and teachers digested what I had said. It took a few moments until Miss Kott spoke again.

"Well then, welcome Isabella, Noah, and Evangeline. Now class, each one of you will introduce yourself and ask a question. Remember to write down the answer to your own question. Lily, would you please start us off?"

Lily sat farthest to the right in the first row. She looked like the stereotypical cheerleader; peppy uniform, ribbons in the bleached-blonde hair, caked on makeup. She even looked like she had that bubblegum-smacking, arrogant attitude. And you wonder why cheerleaders get a bad rap?

"I'm Lillian Sanders, head cheerleader and future prom queen," she introduced herself as. The confidence in her voice was overbearing, urging me to snort.

See? What did I tell you?

"My question for you would be if you have any plans about getting involved with school? Like clubs, teams, stuff like that?"

I looked over at my children, curious about their answers. I didn't even think about getting involved; I wasn't one for school activities even when I was human but that didn't mean Noah and Evie couldn't.

"If I find some kind of sports team, maybe," Noah answered with a shrug. Lily's eyes lit up when he looked at her, almost causing me to giggle. I guess he was going to be popular with the ladies here.

"The same is for me," Evie murmured. "Probably only artistic clubs; I'm not much of a sporty person."

Everyone turned their attention to me, waiting for an answer. I looked at my kids from the corner of my eyes but then stared back as the class. "Not really. I doubt the school has anything I would be interested in."

"You would be surprised. Forks High School has always been a wonderful learning center with plenty of extracurricular activities on a vast region of interests," Miss Kott said. I resisted asking her when that had ever happened by biting my tongue. Forks High had never been that supportive of their students.

"Next please?"

A tall and lanky boy stood up, his posture screaming shyness and nerves. I smiled hesitantly at him when he looked at me, hoping to ease his emotions a little bit. I remembered being like that in high school; I hated having to stand up in front of a crowd with more than three people. He looked a bit shocked to see me smile but then smiled back.

"I'm David Lockhart," he murmured. The humans strained to hear his soft voice but we heard him perfectly. "I was wondering, do any of you have nicknames you prefer to go by?"

"I prefer Evie or Eve. Evangeline is simply too long to say or even remember."

"I don't think you can get any nickname from Noah but she likes to call me Nobel Peace Prize," Noah said with a chuckle as he gazed at his sister. Evie giggled along with the rest of the class.

"It's true. When we fight, he never gets violent like a normal teenage boy so I like to tease him about that," Evie further explained, making the class laugh even more. Even the two Cullens chuckled a bit.

"What about you, Isabella?" the teacher pressed on. I wanted to snarl at her for putting the attention on me. I would have been perfectly fine with being skipped over.

"Usually Bella but I'll answer to anything that isn't an insult; that is, unless you are these two," I answered, jerking my thumb at Noah and Evie. They laughed louder, remembering our own private joke.

David smiled again at me and while others were focusing on my children and their giggle fit, I winked at him. I was glad he had more control over his blush than how I did as a human. Just from his shyness and personality, I knew he was one human I wouldn't be avoiding.

In a way he sort of reminded me of Angela Webber. He had the same dark hair with matching glasses, and a dorky personality as her, not to mention a good smile. I wouldn't be surprised if he had the same sense of humor.

The questions went on and on but I hardly paid attention. I was too busy being lost in my own thoughts of being home in Italy, until Noah decided to disrupt me. When a short redhead stood up and introduced herself, his emotions went haywire as he watched her. I doubt he knew his thoughts were screaming to us.

 _Deidre_ … his thoughts whispered to us. He was captivated by everything about her; how gray her eyes were, how pale her skin was compared to his, how her copper hair was cut into an angled bob and spiked at the back and sides. Noah was in love at first sight.

I glanced at Evie, who sent me an amused look. She heard it just as well as I did and from the way her shoulders shook, she was holding back hysteria. Neither of us could believe Noah had found his mate, and naturally in first period on his first day in school.

 _Good luck, buddy_ , I chuckled silently. I made a mental note to prepare myself for the possibility of a daughter in law before the end of the year.

"What are your favorite colors?"

We gave our answers; white, black, and purple. No one looked surprised.

Before I could prepare myself, the next question was from none other but the giant bear in the back. He stood up from his desk, making a little bit of noise as the desk rattled. He skimmed over my children before focusing on me with those golden irises. I refused to let myself glare; I didn't need to scare the humans so I did my best to keep a blank face.

"I'm Emmett Cullen," he said, his baritone voice vibrating through my icy body. Another pang of hurt rang through my chest.

Beside me, I could hear a low growl from my son, low enough for only vampires to hear. He had made the connection now and was torn between feeling shocked and being beyond pissed. He edged forward on the stool, trying his best to regain control over his emotions. Emmett noticed this and flinched before gazing back at me.

"So uh… do you forgive easily?"

The humans looked back at him with curious gazes, wondering what could make him ask such a ridiculous question. I took the opportunity to glare at him while they looked away from me. His eyes widened before turning sad; he knew the answer.

"No."

It wasn't planned for the three of us to answer all at once but we did; scared the shit out of the humans, too. They all turned to face front immediately, started by our abrupt answer. I didn't blame them. It was a strange question with an even stranger answer.

When Emmett sat down and Jasper stood, I knew his question would be worse. He narrowed his eyes at me, but not in a negative way. It was more like he was studying me, wondering how I could possibly be sitting here now.

"Jasper Cullen," he stated in a firm voice, his southern accent alive and well. I braced myself for whatever flew at me next.

"You say you're from Italy… where exactly in Italy did you come from?"

* * *

So I haven't had anyone express any interest in a beta...Does anyone know where to look? I don't know much about the Beta Reader program through here and I'm already starting to rewrite this story. Let me know if you have any suggestions.

Hopefully you enjoyed the chapter! What do you think about Jasper and Emmett's appearances?


	10. Chapter 10

Damn. Damn it all to hell and back. Damn Jasper Whitlock and his damn questions. Damn him for eternity.

I couldn't respond right away. Right now, it was as if Jasper Cullen was a feline. _Cat got your tongue, Bella?_ His eyes seem to shout at me and I couldn't help but flinch. I doubt the humans were noticing. This was such a short time for them.

 _Honesty, mom?_ Noah's voice rang through my mind, once again pulling me back to reality. I nodded once; they would find out eventually. Why not now and get it over with?

"Volterra… we are from Volterra, Italy," Evie answered. Jasper's eyes widened a little bit but then narrowed on me. They were searching and I knew exactly what he was looking for. The bite marks, the blood red eyes, the incredibly pale skin, the slight sparkle… because of Evie's charms and me being away from the window, all of it was invisible to his eyes, as well as everyone else's.

"How long have you lived there?" he pressed. Before any of us could answer, Miss Kott shushed him.

"One question at a time, Mr. Cullen. You'll have more than enough time to talk to them but for now, let's have everyone get a chance."

I could tell that being patronized by a human annoyed him but he listened, especially after Emmett pulled on his arm. He sat back down but, like his burly brother, his eyes never left mine. To distract me from his constant gaze, I focused on the rest of the students.

The final bell was a savior. I slung my bag back onto my shoulders and helped my children take the stools back to where they were, despite the teacher's protests. I ignored the Cullens and hurried back to the front with Evie and Noah flanking my sides. I could hear their quiet protests but that didn't stop me from moving.

"We need to go," Noah whispered to Evie and she nodded. She curled her hand around mine and tugged me through the door.

"Don't you dare start anything, Noah Jacob; not in front of the humans," Evie hissed. Noah growled lowly as we left the class. We were the first ones out and were 'speed walking' down the hall to our next class.

"Why not? I should tear the both of them limb from limb," he snapped in response. I nudged his shoulder and gave him a look. He knew exactly what I meant; they could hear us as well as we could hear them. He nodded once and lowered his volume. "Did you see their expressions? The bigger one looked like he actually wanted to be forgiven!"

We were silent for a few seconds as we walked through the crowds, trying to make our way through. The school population, though still small, was a great deal bigger than what it had been when I was here the first time.

"Mama," Evie whispered when we were away from the humans. "Does that mean, if two of them are here, so will the others?"

I hadn't thought about that. It was bad enough seeing just those two but having to face the other three would be overkill. I'd either reopen the wound I had worked so hard to seal or I'd murder more vampires then I was sent for.

Even though Aro wasn't fond of them anymore, he still treasured their gifts. If I killed Alice or… _him_ , that would put me in a very bad predicament. Not that I would probably have the guts to kill them, mind you; even if they broke everything I was, they were still my family. As a human, I was obsessed with them. I have no problem with admitting it now because I know how ridiculous it was. I probably should have been in counseling because of them.

Being involved with the Cullens was like being trapped in the center of the Antarctic, having my body tossed and turned by the currents and being on the tip of death. My life had been threatened several times because of their actions. James wanted me as a snack, especially after they pissed him off. Victoria wanted revenge for them killing James. And then _he_ got me pregnant, which if not for Heidi, would have killed me. I don't regret that at all though; they were the best thing to ever happen in my life.

Still though; I was always in danger. If not physically, then emotionally; _he_ ruled and reigned in my human thoughts. He controlled my reactions, my emotions, my being. I was dependent on him and desperate for him.

That would never happen again.

"I don't know, Evie," I finally answered her. She nodded once but when a certain somebody started yelling my name, we all froze.

"I can handle it, mom. I can tell him to leave you alone," Noah murmured. I thought about it for a few Nano-seconds. I wanted nothing more than to forget I saw the Cullens but if they saw the others and told them I was alive, I didn't know what would happen.

"No. It's fine. If I don't handle it now, it'll just come back to bite me later," I responded. They both nodded and looked back to see Emmett pushing his way through the throng of students with Jasper right behind him.

"He really is big, isn't he?" Evie questioned as she shyly looked up at the incoming monster sized man. I could see the hesitation in her eyes; the lioness was gone replaced by a demure cub. I didn't blame her though. Emmett was definitely intimidating.

She turned back to me and put her hand on my arm. "Do you want us to go so you can speak in private? Or would you like us to stay?"

"Of course we're staying-"

With a look from his sister, Noah quieted down. "Only if you want us too; we'll do whatever you need."

I thought about how awkward it would be if I had my children there, not to mention that Noah would probably get in a fight with them. I didn't need that to happen. Besides, I could only imagine how much it could hurt them if they had to talk to the family they were supposed to have but didn't.

"I'll be fine," I answered with a sigh. "I'll catch up to you in a few. If I'm late, just tell them I had to go to the office."

Evie nodded and ignored Noah's protests as she pulled him to their next class. I watched them leave then rubbed my eyes as I waited for Emmett and Jasper to catch up.

"Bella!" Emmett shouted again as he stopped about two feet from me. He froze when I looked up at him, his golden eyes as big as flying saucers. Had this been a hundred years ago and I was still human, I would have been blushing and laughing.

"You're alive," he murmured weakly. I shrugged.

"So to speak."

"How?" Jasper question. He stood next to his bulky brother, watching me curiously. Again, I shrugged.

"Someone decided I would be better as an immortal… you know, like how it was planned?" The annoyance and anger was light in my voice but still could be heard. Emmett flinched and Jasper raised his eyebrows.

"How can you be a vampire? You're eyes are brown."

"Contacts, Jasper," I murmured in return. I could imagine my chest tightening as I said his name. It was one I hadn't spoken in a century.

"But… who changed you? Edward-"

"Didn't change me," I interrupted. "He was too busy deserting me to do so."

"Deserting? What the hell are you talking about? He didn't desert you," Emmett said defiantly. I narrowed my eyes at him and glared.

"Okay if not deserting, how about abandon? Or reject?" I could feel my anger peak as I lifted the synonyms but also felt like a babbling idiot as they continued to stare at me like I had three heads. "He left me," I stated flatly.

"He… he didn't leave you Bells. You kicked him out," Emmett murmured. The confusion in his system was daunting enough to baffle Jasper and me.

"Excuse me? I did what?"

Neither of us spoke as his words and mine lingered in between us. I didn't understand what they were talking about. Why would they assume I made him leave? How could they even think that? I was in love with the bastard, up until I was turned. Even after I was a vampire, it took time to stop loving him, something that seemed impossible from the beginning.

"I don't know where you got that from but I never once asked him to leave," I remarked coldly.

Emmett squinted down at me and stepped forward. "Then why would he say that? He told us you all had a fight and you wanted him gone, that marrying him was a mistake. He's still been pissy about it."

"Are you freaking kidding me?"

The power and volume my voice contained shocked them into more silence. That seemed to happen a lot with our conversation; a few lines and sentences would come out and then we'd be quiet for a few moments. It was quite annoying, really.

"He told you I wanted him gone? He told you we had a fight?!" I demanded to know. I growled lowly, glad that the bell had rung and that the students had cleared the hallway. "And you believed him? Really, Jasper? Emmett?"

Jasper shifted uneasily on his feet, probably from the strength of my emotions. I didn't care what my agitation did to him, though. I was too far beyond furious to care.

"We didn't understand it at first. We knew how much you cared about him but he kept insisting that you were done as a couple. He said you went back home to Charlie and even gave him back the ring."

If I could strangle Edward Cullen, I would crush him into dusk and then feed it to fish before feeding the fish to a great white shark.

"He lied to you," I snapped. "I woke up and he was gone. All he left me was a letter, money to get by, and some food in the house. He just got up and left the island while I was asleep. The only fight that happened was the one I had with myself on what to do when I realized I was alone."

Jasper shook his head erratically. "No that's impossible. Edward wouldn't have done that; he told us how much he still loved you."

I laughed though the sound was hardly humorous. Jasper's confession about Edward's 'feelings' hurt just as much as knowing he lied to his entire family about what happened. Or, in his case, what didn't happen.

"If you believe that, you obviously didn't know me too well, then. Did you honestly believe I would give him up after putting myself through something I wasn't even sure I wanted?" I questioned. When they didn't respond, I continued; "I married him, despite my aversions to it. I gave up something to be with him, to live with him for eternity. If all of you truly believed I would give that up, even if we did have a fight… I don't know what to say to you."

"Bella, we really didn't know," Emmett whispered. I felt the suspicion set in.

"Then why couldn't I contact you? I tried calling every one of you, even the Denali coven, just to get help. They didn't even answer," I questioned. They looked even more puzzled.

"We never received any calls from you, Bells. We actually waited a few days when Edward came back but he said it would be better for you if we moved. We went east to give you the space he told us you needed," Jasper explained.

"Every phone I reached was disconnected. The Denali's never returned my message. You want me to believe that you didn't know a damn thing about this, Jasper? You want me to believe that he did that all on his own without any of your family knowing?"

"Maybe he changed the numbers to our old ones and told the Denali some sort of lie to explain. Honest to God Bella, if we knew you were trying to reach us, we never would have left you."

I just stared at them. A dire and desperate part of me wanted to believe them; I wanted to so much but I couldn't. For the moment, it was hard to even look at the both of them. If I was still able to, I wouldn't doubt the possibility of me crying. I could feel them now, the nonexistent memory of tears filling my eyes. Of course though, vampires weren't allowed that relief.

"I don't think I really give a damn anymore. That part of my life is done."

"Bells," Emmett started softly but Jasper cut him off. I looked up at him and was met with a hurt and angry glare.

"Then why are you here?"

"A mission; apparently there is another group that's drawing too much attention and I have to take care of it," I muttered. I couldn't help but resent Aro for all of this.

"So it's true. You and the other two work for the Volturi. You're a guard now," he continued. I nodded sharply and let him continue. I already knew what was coming next. "Who are they, Bella? Who are the two playing your siblings?"

I purposely ignored it. I couldn't tell them the truth and I wasn't that much of an idiot; I knew they would tell him immediately. I wasn't about to drag my children into this mess. It was bad enough they had to know who they were in the first place.

"Who else is here?" I asked. Jasper raised his eyebrows while Emmett was perplexed. They both let it go through.

"Just Rosalie; everyone else is still out east finishing up records and other business. They'll be here soon enough though, probably about two weeks," Emmett answered. "Do you plan on avoiding them too? I'm sure they would like to hear your side of the story."

The violent shiver that wracked my spine was involuntary. I didn't know what I would do, especially when I saw them. I was hoping I would be gone by then, back home with my family and in peace. I had a feeling I wouldn't get my wish though.

"I'll cross that bridge when I come to it, I would appreciate it if you didn't tell the others about me," I muttered and turned away from them. I was tired of talking. I wanted to sleep. Too bad though, right?

"You can't run away from this Bella," Jasper said flatly. I continued to ignore him and his brother while I made my way out of the hallway and toward the office. I could have gone straight to the classroom and dazzled the teacher for a free pass but I wanted to take my time and think over what had just happen. Of course being a vampire doesn't mean much with that want; I have all the time in the world to think it over with more free time than any human. I don't have an escape and time goes by too slow.

When I got into the office, I convinced the receptionist I had dropped everything out of my bag in the hallway after I ran into someone, making me late for my next class. She immediately gave me a pass and told me to never worry about that and just to come find her if I needed help. I smiled politely, said my thanks, and was off. I guess shyness came in handy.

I got to my next class in record time, History, and quietly entered the room. Despite my tries to be inconspicuous, I managed to have the whole class turn and watch me. Without a word, I gave the flustered teacher my pass and took a seat next to Evie, ignoring both their worried stares and focusing on the boring subject of American history to distract me. It was a long time, too long, before the next bell.

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Hope you guys enjoy!


	11. Chapter 11

I wanted to go home. I wanted to crawl under a very large rock and hide. I wanted my father to be here and tell me everything would be okay. I wanted my mother to tell me to follow my heart and that it knows best. I wanted Jake to cuddle me and tell me the Cullens were a bunch of asses.

That's what I would do. I would go visit Jake.

Only I can't. I had to stay in school.

Damn it.

 _Mom? What happened?_ Noah kept pushing into my mind, probing for an answer. Though I thought it was amazing that not even my shield could keep him or his sister out, this was one of those times where I wished I was still undetectable to anyone.

I just shook my head and mouthed the word _later_. It had been already four periods and I refused to speak. I didn't address anyone except my children but even then it wasn't with words. To make up for it, Evie told everyone I had a disorder with migraines and that it was so painful that I felt sick. People backed off a bit with her warning and she spoke for me.

By the time lunch had come, I was more than willing to swim across the ocean without a break if it meant I got to go home. I hadn't seen Jasper for the rest of the day but I found out from another kid that Emmett was in my gym class next period. I was so not looking forward to it but it could have been worse. It could be Rosalie.

Speaking of the blonde, I really didn't want to enter that cafeteria because I know she would be in there with the guys. I don't know what her reaction would be. Would she believe me? Or would she try to strangle me for what Edward told her I did.

In all honesty, I didn't want to find out.

"What did they say to you?" Noah asked when we entered the cafeteria. We both followed Evie to an empty table pushed into the south corner of the room. It was perfect for us and hopefully would keep us somewhat shadowed from the humans.

"Mom, please talk to us," Evie whispered. She tugged on my sleeve and forced me to look at her. I could feel my frozen heart break all over again when I saw the sadness and the worry in those chocolate irises. She was terrified for me and I had made it worse by not answering her and her brother's concerns. That was just plain horrible of me.

I shook my head and patted her shoulder lovingly. "Nothing I can't handle. It's just going to be harder for me then I thought it would be."

Noah started looking around the room, searching for his 'uncles' with a glare that could kill. I knew exactly who he was looking for – the carbon copy of himself. "Is he here? Is that son of a bitch here, too?"

"Noah," I snapped, warning him of his mouth. I wouldn't let him sink down to his level. "He isn't here; from what they said, he and the others won't be here for another few weeks."

"So there's a chance we could leave before they arrive," Evie suggestion, her tone hopeful and somewhat excited. I nodded once.

"I'm praying that's the case. It's bad enough three of them are there… I'll tell you the rest tonight, when we're alone. It's not something I wish to talk about in a public place," I explained. Both of them nodded but then Noah growled.

"Three… who is the third?"

Before I could answer, Evie interrupted me. "I'm going to guess it is that blonde that's looking at mom like she has three heads. She just walked in with the men."

I followed her gaze and met the eyes of none other than Rosalie Hale. Still gorgeous as ever, her blonde hair was still waist length and golden, enough to make any human envy and lust after her. Her eyes were still the same teasing liquid gold color that made any person melt, despite their sexuality. I'm sure she's turned quite a few around.

 _Isabella_ , she mouthed. I nodded once. Seeing her now, I realized I didn't harbor any hard feelings for her. We never got along well before; she thought I was an idiot for wanting to throw my humanity away so carelessly. Being a vampire now, I understood what she meant. I missed being human. We weren't so much different now.

The only emotional contrast between us now was that I was able to have what she couldn't: children.

She started to walk over–no, jog over to us but paused when her heard turned slightly to the side. I raised an eyebrow but soon found out what had caused her to stop. Deidre Allen, the redhead who had caught my son's attention, was heading over to us with David Lockhart. They were hesitant as they carried their trays over but it shocked me they were coming over at all.

"Hey," Deidre said as she stopped in front of our table, instantly blocking Rosalie from my sight. I wondered what her reaction was from being interrupted by a creature so much below her.

Deidre was tiny, probably a little over five feet. Her eyes weren't just gray; they were silver and shiny, sort of like newly polished metal. They were rimmed with smudged black eyeliner, giving her the raccoon look that many try to avoid. Somehow though, it fit her, especially with her edgy bronze hair and dark lipstick.

Taking the time to really look at her, I understood my son's attraction to her. Deidre was definitely the artistic type. Her top was simple and sort of vintage; a dyed black, short sleeve peasant shirt that bared her snowy shoulders. Her jeans, a similar ebony shade, were torn, ripped, and decorated with different colors of paint. The only accessories she had was a black and red leather band around her neck and another around her right wrist.

"Hey," I responded. Evie smiled and Noah just looked dumbfounded. "Deidre, right? And David; you were both in our first period classes."

They both nodded. "Yeah we were. Do you mind if we sit here? There aren't any open spaces anymore."

Evie shook her head and gestured to the seats. "Of course you can; we don't bite."

Naturally, the moment Evie decided to say that, her poor brother was trying to down a giant gulp of orange soda. As soon as Evie said 'bite', Noah was following up with a violent choking noise as he tried to swallow what was in his mouth. The mother in me wanted to run over and do what I could, even though I knew he would be fine, but the human beat me to it; Deidre was on her feet faster than I had the thought processed and started whacking him on the back.

"Spit it back in the bottle, don't try to swallow it!" she snapped, worry thick in her voice. Evie and I weren't as concerned though; Noah was half vampire, for God's sake. His body would fight the violation soon enough.

Noah finally listened to her and spit the neon colored carbonation out and back into the bottle. Deidre grabbed her bottle of water from her tray and forced him to drink, despite his protests. Evie and I tried not to laugh as Noah succumbed to the female's forceful but helpful actions.

"Whoa," Noah gasped when he finally had his throat cleared. Deidre patted his back gently and watched as he blinked the tears away from his eyes. By the way she watched him with careful eyes, I could see that she might feel the pull he felt.

"You alright? What happened?" she questioned.

"He was being an idiot and decided to drink too much at once," Evie answered for her brother with a grim smile. "Isn't that right, unmannered brother?"

Noah glared at his sister and then looked back at Deidre with soft eyes. "I'm fine. It just went down the wrong pipe, so to speak. Happens sometimes, right?"

Deidre nodded slowly then realized her hand was still on his back. She pulled it back slowly, as if to be subtle about it, and then went back to her tray. I followed her gaze and was nearly shocked that David was still standing there. He looked confused by the whole ordeal and really, I didn't blame him.

I slid down in my seat and kicked the chair out in front of him, grinning unusually well for my earlier mood. "Have a seat there, David; join the dark side."

 _Mom!_ Noah scolded but Evie laughed. I ignored him and then looked at Evie, smirking like a smug kitten with a mouse. "You too Deidre."

Both humans sat down with shocked expressions but did as I said. I had to keep myself from laughing more; humans were so adorable, especially these two.

"I hope I remember your names right," David murmured as he started to unwrap his sandwich. He started with Noah and then named my daughter and me, getting it in the correct order.

"Congratulations; you didn't mix us up," Evie said with a smirk. She leaned back and chewed on a carrot stick from her lunch.

Looking at what Deidre and David ate, I was glad I had told them to pack their lunches. The food looked like something only prisoners and vultures would eat. When I had been human, the food was tolerable but now it just looked like crap. Maybe it was because I found all human food disgusting but that stuff was pushing the limit.

"Aren't you going to eat anything, Bella?" David asked as he stared at the blank table spot in front of me. I shook my head and smiled softly.

"I guess I am one of the few freaks on this planet that doesn't enjoy food like others do," I answered. Deidre narrowed her eyes as she gazed at my midsection carefully.

"You aren't anorexic though," she said, though it sounded like a question. David nearly snapped his neck as he turned to look at her, scolding her for her blunt accusation. I waved him off dismissively, though.

"Nah I'm not anorexic. I had the misfortune of inheriting some kind of disorder where my body rejects a lot of food. I hardly eat anything yet I am fine," I lied. I didn't know if such a disorder existed but they looked like they bought it. After a few moments of hesitation and thoughts, they dropped the subject and moved on accordingly.

I was shocked by how much fun I had with my kids and the humans. They were sophisticated for their age, making our conversations easier to continue and more fun to have. I was surprised that it was enough to forget my previous morning at times and I certainly was thankful for that.

My day was starting to look up.

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Hey guys. Here's another update. Let me know your thoughts, please!


	12. Chapter 12

Today has been a roller-coaster. My emotions have been going haywire, not that I blame them. I felt like a hormonal teenager on her first period; God, how I hated those days. The mood swings killed me.

After a good lunch, Evie and I went to gym class while Noah followed David to his next class. I was actually kind of excited about going to gym. There, I could let a little loose. Not too much of course; I couldn't expose myself to the humans but I should could have fun and run around. Sure, the running would feel like walking to me, and I might get a little frustrated by having to hold back but at least I could do something.

My positive feelings took a sharp turn when I saw that Emmett and Rosalie were in my gym class. I hadn't realized they combined grade classes now but I should have known with my serendipity. Ever since I came back here, I have been abandoned by all things lucky.

Once again; damn it.

Like I said earlier, I was in no way mad at Rosalie. Hell, she's the one person I expected to ditch me. We since the wedding, we were on mutual ground but in no way did we have the same sort of relationship that I had with Alice. How could I hold hard feelings against her? I just couldn't because we weren't close. Alice, on the other hand…

I shook my head, stopping that thought in its process. I was not letting her back into my mind. No fucking way. I had enough of that right after I turned; I would tearlessly weep from the abandonment of my sister. It was almost as bad as the douchebag.

The others... they were different. I was more hurt than angry. I understood with Esme; she had a family to take care of. A whole group came before none, no matter how much it upset her. Carlisle was similar. He had a lot of trust, being with him the longest. He also always respected my feelings. If he convinced Carlisle, he would do what was best. Emmett was that protective big brother that I always wanted. He even threatened him a few times; just gentle warnings of what would come if he ever hurt me. Did he honestly not know the truth?

And Jasper...well, I don't know. We weren't too close, thanks to my ex's watchful eye. He was scared that Jasper would try to kill me again… or at least scared he would give them away and expose their kind. God forbid they kill the chief's daughter, right? They'd have the FBI on their asses, that's for damn sure.

I wonder what my father would say about me now. He's long gone, up there in the heavens with my erratic mother, her husband, grandma, and Billy. I hope he would be proud of me and the choices I've made. Maybe so much of the drinking from humans but my job requires that; can't be weak when you're out killing leeches, as Jacob would say. Maybe Charlie would give me credit for not killing anyone now. With the kids keeping a watchful eye over me, and my unexpected control in the beginning, I managed to keep my kills to a record low on the guard.

"Bella?"

The sultry and sophisticated voice tore me from my thoughts as I changed in the locker room. Both Evie and I paused in mid-dressing to look up, only to see Rosalie standing there in her golden glory. She was still gorgeous, even in the cotton shorts, worn t-shirt, and hair pulled back. She was definitely a heartbreaker.

"Rosalie," I murmured. She was still in shock, her pretty eyes wide and concerned. Her next actions scared the hell out of me; it contained the same level as shock as if I had cut myself and bled after a century.

She flew up against my and her arms wound around my neck, keeping me frozen in her arms. I couldn't believe that Rosalie Hale, the girl who hated my guts when I first came to Forks and wanted nothing to do with me, was hugging me. _Hugging_ me!

When the fuck did hell freeze over and melt?

"You're alive… how?! How are you alive?" she demanded to know. She pulled back slightly but still kept me trapped in her arms. Her eyes had taken an alarmed state as she took in my features.

"Excuse me," Evie growled beside me. "I'd appreciate if you take your hands off my sister."

I shot a glance over to Evie, hopefully one that told her to calm down, and she huffed. I looked back at Rosalie but her eyes were no longer on me. They were on Evie and a spark of recognition lit up in specks. She looked between us quickly, reminding me of a cartoon character, and I could slowly see the puzzle pieces being put together. _Shit,_ I cursed silently.

"How?" She repeated, only this time in a whisper.

"Rosalie, please," I started but she cut me off.

"We need to talk. Sometime, somehow, we're going to talk. As soon as possible, too. I want answers." Her tone went back to demanding, which set my daughter off again.

"You don't deserve answers," Evie hissed quietly so the humans didn't hear. "Your whole family deserves nothing. You should back the hell off."

Rosalie held up her hands in surrender, another action I didn't think the blond was capable. She stepped back but didn't move away from our changing area. That was fine with me. I gently touched Evie's forearm and shook my head. She stared at me, silently asking why, but again I just shook my head.

"Later, after we get settled in. Only us though; no one else. You and I both want answers," I answered. Rosalie stood tall again and nodded.

"I just want to say two things first," she murmured. I nodded for her to continue. "First, I believe what you told Jasper; I know you didn't choose to leave him. Second, Emmett has missed you too much. Please don't be so hard on him. It tore him apart to know what you thought all of these years."

"He still believed him," I retorted. Rosalie shook his head.

"You know Emmett; he's just like the others. They all couldn't believe it. We thought Edward honestly loved you."

A sharp pain lodged itself into my chest as I nodded. "Later," I muttered.

Roller-coaster, roller-coaster, roller-coaster…

"Walk with me? Both of you?" She questioned. Evie looked hesitant but she followed me and Rosalie. "By the way, I have a feeling the coach is going to pick one of you as captain; we're playing basketball. If you must, get your frustration out on the court with Emmett. It might help you guys straighten things out."

I thought about her words. Rosalie honestly was trying to fix things. While Emmett and Jasper had just tried talking to me to tell their side, she was offering solutions. An aggressive game between me and grizzly bear didn't sound so bad. It would allow both of us to take out our hurt and frustration on each other in a non-damaging way.

"That is, if he's on the other team," I said in return. She shook her head and smiled down at me. I was sort of shocked by her appearance; I had forgotten how tall she was.

"I'll take care of that," she murmured. Before we left the locker room, I pulled her to the side and waited for the human girls to leave.

"Rosalie, why are you doing this?" I questioned.

"Bella, you two were buddies when you were human. He misses that and I bet if you sorted some things out, you would realize you missed him too. I'm not asking you to reconcile with the whole coven, just Emmett. He's my husband and I saw how much it hurt him to see you again. Just please try," she explained. I heard Evie huff behind me, probably because she knew my answer.

"No promises but I'll try. It hurt me just as much as him," I answered. Rosalie's face lit up and she hugged me again. It would take a millennium to get used to that.

"Thank you!" she whispered as another group went past. She took us out and led us over to the two men, presumably teachers. The one was young and couldn't help but look over us with wandering eyes. I swallowed the venom that pooled in my mouth.

"Perv," I whispered, earning a slight chuckle from both Evie and Rosalie.

Rosalie introduced my daughter and me, and then explained her idea. She mentioned how she knew us from her old school and told them about some healthy 'rivalry' between Emmett and me. He agreed to make Emmett and I captains of the teams and split the whole class into two teams. It was fairly even; Rosalie and Emmett on one side with my daughter and I on the other. The humans didn't matter; they would hardly be involved in a game with vampires.

"Bells," Emmett said in greeting with a nod of his head. I nodded back and then looked at my team. They said they'd follow my lead, which was perfectly fine.

With the direction of the two coaches, we were positioned; Emmett and I toe to toe. The teacher looked concerned when he noticed the foot difference in height. If this game was away from humans, that wouldn't be a difference but from a human standpoint, it was hardly fair to put a tiny girl up against a six-foot-five man.

"Ladies first," Emmett muttered. The coach shrugged and tossed me the ball. I caught it with my gaze still connected to Emmett's and dribbled the ball a bit, making sure it was okay.

"Don't hold back, Cullen," I hissed.

"Not in my nature, Swan," he returned in the same temperament. So my blowing him off earlier pissed him off. _Good_.

I froze for a slight second when he called me by my real last name. I snapped out of it when the whistle blew and started dribbling again. Emmett waited for my move, expecting me to dart most likely to the left, but when a blur passed my side, I tossed the ball. It went in Rosalie's direction but Evie was fast; something she had inherited from her father.

The game was hectic, sort of the like the stalemate from World War I. Both sides could not get a break through and unfortunately, that was Emmett's and my fault.

"How do I know you're telling the truth about the phones not working?" He glared at me as I got in his way to block.

"I never lie," I hissed and leaped, smacking the ball from his hands and ran. He caught up with me easily and tried to block me too. "I tried to contact all of them but like we said, the bastard probably switched the numbers. Besides, no one came to see me afterward. Do you know how long I was on that island by myself?"

I tossed the ball to one of the humans who somehow managed to avoid Rosalie and get it to Evie. I looked back and Emmett and he still didn't answer so I continued. "Days Em; he left me by myself."

"He wouldn't have left you," Emmett muttered. He ran to guard and I followed, keeping my eyes on the ball; Rosalie had stolen it from Evie and was heading down the court. "He married you."

"So? I married him! Doesn't that say shit?!" I growled as I intercepted her throw and caught the ball before it made it to Emmett. The next thing I know, I was slammed into the ground by Emmett's massive arm and the whistle went off to call his foul.

The fucker checked me. He's lucky the floor didn't smash underneath me.

I opened my eyes to see him glaring down at me. I had closed my eyes and lost the ball from the shock of being hammered on the court. He bared his teeth as the teacher ran over to see if I was alright while having a hissy-fit about Emmett's actions.

"You never wanted to marry him in the first place, damn it!" He growled lowly before anyone but Rosalie and Evie could hear. Even though I could feel the cracks in my body healing right away, I played human and laid there for a moment. I rolled my head, pretending to be dazed, but was shocked to see Jasper standing in the doorway, watching me with concern. I narrowed my eyes and let the humans pull me off the floor. I brushed myself off and shook my head, as if to shake off whatever happened.

"This is a clean game, Cullen! Keep that crap off my court; next time, your ass is in the office," The coach hissed. Emmett ignored him, keeping his gaze on me. The man then turned to me and then started rambling on about going to the nurse and possibly an ambulance.

"I'm fine," I said to him, trying to sound as calm as a human could be. "I'm into sports; it wasn't bad."

Pulling a charming, dazzling smile was the only way to keep him from getting me out of the gym and letting me play but it worked. Evie looked like she wanted to murder Emmett right on the floor and Rosalie wasn't much better but when they saw that I just stared at them, they backed off.

The coached called game again and let me start with the ball. When he was out of hearing range, I talked again. "Because I didn't see the importance of a piece of paper if we were already going to be together," I growled and let the ball go. "I was from a different time, Cullen; marriage meant nothing, if not failure."

We started running again and he kept talking. "You never bothered to find us after you were turned," he said. I gaped at him, knowing my expression was not pretty.

"Why the hell would I want to find the family that abandoned me?" I inquired. He didn't answer me. "I had a job to do anyways. I couldn't exactly go on a wild goose hunt for people I wasn't sure I even wanted to see again."

As I started to jog ahead of him, I didn't see him stick his foot out, tripping me. I tumbled and landed on my ass, facing him. The whistle went off again but I played it off by claiming my shoe was untied. The coach didn't seem convinced but he resumed the game.

"Right," Emmett said with a grim smirk. "So instead, you joined the Italian Scum; that's classy, Bells."

I hissed and could feel the venom surge into my mouth again. "They took me in to protect me!" I retorted. "I needed their help so I made a deal. I didn't exactly have a choice, Em."

"Choice for what?" he demanded. "What could possibly make you consider the people who gave you nightmares for weeks?"

I didn't get a chance to answer because Emmett took off when Rosalie got the ball and went straight for the net. Knowing Rosalie would pass it off to him, I acted quickly.

"Hey, Blondie!" I called out to one of the human males on my team near the net. He pointed to himself to clarify and I nodded. "Hold your hands out together!"

He looked confused but did as I asked. When Rosalie tossed the basketball to Emmett, I launched myself at the boy. I leaped and kicked off his connected, outstretched hands, doing my best to not hurt him, and flew toward the net. Emmett had already tried to shoot but I caught it in midair to block it before using the net as leverage to swing down. I then tossed the ball back to my daughter, who finally made the first goal.

Emmett turned and stared at me, surprised by my fluidness.

"That, Emmett Cullen, is none of your concern."

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Hey guys! Sorry for the late update. It's been pretty hectic. Hopefully you'll enjoy this update. Thanks for reading!


	13. Chapter 13

All of the humans stared at me as Emmett walked away from me to be with his mate. Even the sneaky Jasper Whitlock, still watching from the door, was shocked. I bit my lip, wanting to kick myself for letting myself get caught up in my instincts.

"What was that?" one of the girls asked. I chuckled nervously, playing it off like a shy high school girl.

"My father had me in gymnastics since I was a child," I murmured playfully. Acting bashfully was a sure way to get out of this; the humans were too transparent to see the truth. It worked, though they were all still dumbfounded by my acrobatic skills as they walked away from me.

The game was soon finished and we were dismissed, leaving the girls to gossip in the locker rooms and the guys to think about whatever went on in their brains. Before Evie and I could go in, I was practically cornered by the teacher. It wasn't a smart move on his part but then again, he didn't know I could snap his neck without a second though. He wanted me to think about joining a sports team, preferably volleyball or basketball, claiming that my reflexes could get them a foothold in the competitions. I politely declined, not wanting to show off more than I needed. I would be gone after a few weeks anyways.

The rest of the day went smoothly and soon, we were released from hell. I was glad Evie and Noah had a good time with their first day of school but I was begrudged that someone had managed to get my monkey-like skills and Emmett's arm slam on tape. By the next period, I had people coming up to me, either commenting on what I did or questioning how I was alive after the giant Emmett Cullen had managed to staple my body to the gym floor. I sort of felt like a celebrity being swamped by paparazzi; I hated every minute of it.

After dropping necessary papers off at the office, we went out to the cars, naturally which kids were still gawking at. I smiled grimly at the attention but really didn't care; that was my car and I wasn't going to hide it.

From the corner of my eye, I caught Emmett, Rosalie, and Jasper staring at us. Rose's eyes were hooked on the cars while the guys kept their eyes trained on me. I gave a slight, uncaring wave before I got into my car. Letting Evie back out first, I pulled out smoothly and followed behind them. We kept our speeds low until we were out of sight of the humans; when covered by trees and woods, the speedometers went up and we were off. Of course, we had to slow down every so often if a cop was nearby or we were passing through town; most of the time though, racing was our pass time.

When we got back to the house, the others were waiting outside for us. Had I been human still, the three of them would have looked normal in their human garb and lazy smiles but even from behind Evie's car, yards away from them, their beauty still managed to make me smile.

"Bella darling! How was hell?" Heidi asked jokingly after we parked the cars back in the garage and got out. I rolled my eyes and left all my stuff in the car to go hug my best friend.

"Shocking, to say the least," I muttered. Heidi raised a perfect eyebrow and gestured for me to continue. "I ran into a few old… friends."

Immediately, her eyes were wide as saucers. Behind her, Felix and Demetri looked just as shocked; as if that were the last thing they expected to hear. Their expression probably mimicked mine when I first saw the Cullens, surprised and unbelievable.

"Yeah, I know," I muttered after a few seconds went by.

"The Cullens are here," Demetri stated flatly. I could taste the anger in his tone, feeling it drift through the air. I didn't need to be a pathokinetic like Jasper to feel his emotions.

"All of them? Heidi asked. I shook my head.

"Three of them are here; the rest are somewhere else finishing up business. They won't arrive for a few weeks, at least that's what they said," I answered. Felix snorted and ran his hand through his hair.

" _He's_ not here, is he?" Demetri asked. His voice turned acidic. I shook my head.

"Jasper, Rosalie, and Emmett, for now."

"Another reason why we need to hurry up," he hissed. My head tilted as I questioned his words. I wasn't aware of another reason to hurry, other than to stop exposure.

Heidi took notice and answered my qualms. "Five humans were attacked last night; two are dead and the other three are missing. We're presuming that they were changed. That makes our approximate higher than before."

"If this keeps going, we might need to call in some help," Felix added. "The six of us aren't going to be enough if it gets over a certain number; we might be able to get it done but it could cost us."

I was glad Evie and Noah had gone in the house and that their hearing wasn't as good as ours. I didn't need them hearing this; they didn't need to worry yet. "Where, who, and when?"

"Around midnight in Port Angeles; it was a group of teenagers suspected of coming home from a party, all around late teens to early twenties. Car was crashed and the driver was left with one back seat passenger. Whoever did this made it look like an animal mauling; the police have a theory that the car crashed and later on, wolves got to the bodies."

Bella sighed. She could picture it all clearly. "Heidi, let's go check it out. Felix, Demetri, make sure nothing crosses the house."

"Are you sure you don't want one of us to come?" Demetri questioned, his eyes concerned and worried. I shook my head.

"I would feel better with the two of you with them," I answered. I then glanced at Heidi, who smirked smugly, and returned the grin. "Besides, we can handle ourselves, right honey?"

"You bet ya', sweets," Heidi commented teasingly. "We kick vampire ass."

After we had changed into the normal attire for rogues and got Evie to drop her glamour over me, we took off in my car, leaving my family behind to do their homework. Neither were quite happy having to do work since they knew all of it but since they needed sleep, they had to get it done. I told them they could help during the weekends.

 _We aren't even here to go to school_ , Noah had said. _We're here to take down a bunch of bloodsucking fiends that keep causing trouble for us. Why does homework matter?_

Evie tag-teamed me with him; _He's right mom. We are only going to be here for a few weeks anyways; why do our grades matter? Besides, we would be out of here faster if you let us help._

Before I could answer, Heidi shut them up. _It's called keeping up appearances, you two. Before we came here, you wanted to experience high school. This is it, so deal with it._

So much for being the fun aunt, I guess.

I let Heidi drive for once; it was a gift on my part. No one drove my baby but me, especially not Heidi. If I drove fast, she drove faster. She was crazy on the streets. Then again, she was also one of the fastest runners, so maybe that's why. Her gift was speed… if that was even a gift.

Because of her, we got to our destination in under twenty minutes; had we been human, it probably would have been an hour so maybe it wasn't so bad. The 'accident' had occurred on the side of the highway; all that was left to mark the crash was a few skid marks and broken glass. Easy enough to track still.

"Park a little up further on the shoulder," I directed. Heidi did as she was told and slowed down until she was off the road enough. I didn't want some pesky moron to fuck my car up.

"Maybe Demetri should have come with us," Heidi murmured. I shook my head though as we got out of the car.

"He taught me enough to handle this. Should be cake," I said in return. She shrugged and started to inspect the skid marks while I sniffed the air. The faint smell of blood from the victims lingered lightly, as if it hadn't been washed away completely. Once it rained again, I had a feeling the sweet scent would be totally gone so I was happy for the semi-nice weather.

"I found the body of the deer. I bet you the bastards chased it into the road as the car came so they would crash," Heidi said as she came up next to me. I didn't answer because I was focused on the scents. There had been at least four vampires when the car crashed, each individual scent as strong as the next. I held up my finger to keep her quiet and followed the trail through the grass. It took me in circles before taking me back onto the road about thirty yards from where we first were. The trail stopped once I was on the pavement.

"Heidi," I murmured as I stared down the road. My hands were perched on my hips as I gazed into the chilly, wet fog, trying to see what I was missing. Heidi came to stand next to me and watched me carefully, waiting for me to speak. "Since when do newborns have the capabilities to orchestrate a kidnapping?"

"What do you mean, Bells?"

"They chased a deer into the street to make them crash. They mauled the two that died straight away to make it look like an animal had gotten to the bodies. They dragged the three survivors through the woods and destroyed their trail from the humans, and then got picked up by a car farther down from the accident, all while managing not to spill any blood," I explained slowly. "When the hell have you heard newborns leaving any humans alive?"

Heidi didn't answer. She didn't need to because I knew the answer. It was never. That never happened.

I trusted Evie enough to drive my car home alone. It helped that she promised to repair the damage if any occurred but I had a feeling she would be careful.

All of the feelings I had were overwhelming. By nightfall, my whole day had caught up with me and I didn't want to go home. I knew if I had, Evie and Noah would know I wasn't okay. I didn't want that to happen, nor did I want to be near any of them. Vampires were sensitive to things others wouldn't be; I wouldn't get any peace with them there.

I ran around for a while, hunting what animals I could find. The closer I got to Forks, the more I crossed paths with the Cullens' scents. I stayed away from them and decided now would be a good time to visit Jake. Though I had thought about it earlier in school, I didn't decide to actually go onto the reservation until I was minutes away from it.

When I stopped in front of Jake's home, he was outside again. I raised my eyebrow when I saw him, silently questioning how he knew. He shrugged and greeted me with a hug.

"We have a network, Bells. Paul called and let me know he caught your scent in our territory. I figured you were coming for a visit," he explained as he held onto me. I smiled softly and buried my face in his chest.

"Why didn't I get a heads up yesterday, Black?" I asked jokingly but my tired voice was less than teasing.

"Heads up for what, Bella?" Jacob asked in return. His confusion was earnest and true; he honestly didn't know what I was talking about.

"That the Cullens are here; that Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie were living here and already enrolled into school. It was quite a surprise to see them when I got there."

Jacob's eyes were huge. His reaction was similar to Demetri's and Felix's expressions when I told them; brown eyes shocked, mouth in 'o' shape, speechless. It was funnier because of his lack of control over emotions. I guess wolves were like humans in that department.

"Bells, I didn't have any idea. They never let us know…"

I shook my head. "Probably because Carlisle isn't here yet. From what Jasper said, I have about two or so weeks to get what I need to do finished and then leave."

"You aren't staying?"

I pulled back to look up at him. "I can't. I was only sent here for a mission and then I return to Italy. I wouldn't want to stay here anyways if they are all coming back, anyways."

Jacob sighed and pulled me back to cradle me in his arms. "What did they say to you?"

"Excuses, really; they said he told them I kicked him out, that I changed my mind about the marriage. It was all lies… but they believed him. All of them believed every single fucking lie that bastard said… except Rosalie, that is."

"Mother fucker," Jacob hissed but then paused. "Wait… Blondie didn't believe him? I thought she hated you?"

I shook my head. "She didn't agree with my choice of becoming a mortal. I understood that and why she was angry. She missed being human and wanted what vampirism can't give you. She believed I was taking advantage of it. She never doubted how much… how much I had loved him.

"She also knew what a little bitch he was," I added with a harsh chuckle.

"But even the future-telling one believed him? Wasn't she like your best friend, other than me?"

I nodded in answer. "Yes. The rest listened to him and left me."

"Do they know about Evangeline and Noah?"

"Rose has an idea, I think. She saw the similarities between Evie and me in gym. We're going to talk things out soon, just to find answers for each other."

Jacob snorted. "And you trust her? Even though she never came back for you?"

"She had to stay with her mate. We were never close anyways. It does mean something that she wants to figure out what really happened now though. Remember how harsh she was when I was human?" Jacob nodded so I continued. "When she saw me in the locker room, she came right up and hugged me. Rosalie never hugs anyone, except for Emmett."

Jacob made a noise of acceptance and took me into the house. "Strange; Blondie has a heart. Anyways, other than those assholes, what the hell is this 'mission' about?"

"I get to kill vampires," I said with a smirk. Other than my family and me, the wolves still despised vampires. They recognized that I had no choice to become one because of my children and when I told them we never killed our prey, they accepted us and granted us peace on their land. Sam had forgiven me for running away to save the twins so we were on peace.

Laughing, Jacob messed with my hair. "Do the pack and I get to help with this? You know we would love an excuse to do so," he murmured. I thought about the idea for a second then remembered my conversation with the others about higher numbers.

"We'll probably need your help. It'll be like that fight with the newborns all those years again… people keep going missing or are killed because of them and we need to stop them but their numbers keep going up."

"Well you can count on us," Jake said and kissed my forehead. "How long are you staying tonight?"

I bit my lip and looked up at him. "I can't fall asleep; you know that, but I was wondering if I could just lay with you or something. You calm my nerves a bit so it might give me some peace. I promise I won't keep you awake, Jake. It'll be like old times."

Pretending to hesitate, the wolf gave me a sly smile. "Yeah, I guess I could do that for an old friend," he chuckled. Holding my hand tightly, he led me to his bedroom. He gave me a t-shirt of his to wear to bed so I would be more comfortable to lie with him. After getting change, I crawled under the covers, where he enveloped me in his body heat. For the first time in years, I felt like I was able to rest.

* * *

Hey guys! Just so you know, right after this I'll be posting the first chapter of a new story. If you're interested, let me know what you think! Anyway, thank you for reading! I love hearing what you guys think of the story


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

I had to leave Jake sometime in the middle of the night. I forget when it was but it was before the sun broke the horizon. I silently got dressed in his room while he was still fast asleep and made sure the shirt I borrowed was folded neatly on his pillow. With that, I kissed his forehead and was off.

Now, hours later, I was back in hell, surrounded by tasty smelling humans. I think having tasted animals for the first time amplified their delicious smell, making me realize just how different the two tasted. Despite wanting a few to drink from, I tried to hold off my hunger by remembering that this would help me. The sooner I got my eyes a few notches away from being the crimson color they were, the more Evie wouldn't have to worry about holding her glamour over me. I knew that constant use was tiring, despite her protests.

School went on as normal. Since I had finished the work I was assigned when I got home, I was able to turn in my assignments along with Evie's and Noah's without questionable looks from the teachers, as well as ignore the Cullen boys as much as I could.

During lunch, David and Deidre joined us again. It felt right, especially when I noticed that Deidre had sat right next to Noah. I wondered if they were holding hands under the table by the proximity between them. Apparently Evie noticed too and kept eyeing Deidre curiously, probably making sure the human was worth her brother's time. I, however, already adored Deidre. She had a beautiful personality, an epic attitude that could put Noah in his place when needed, and a strong will.

I just wondered what would happen when the time to leave and return to Italy came.

David was becoming more talkative toward me and Evie but in no way did either of us have the connection that Deidre and Noah had. So, as for the best, he remained our human buddy, someone we could rely on and talk to. He started to question us a bit in the beginning, making me terribly nervous, but in the end, he just accepted that my family and I are a bunch of freaks.

To be honest, if I could turn the both of them and take them home with me, I would. I wasn't about to turn two human lives upside down though.

As for Rosalie…I guess I could say that relationship grew a bit. In our gym and health classes, she was pleasant and kind but never pushed me. Emmett didn't either; in fact, all he did was sent me puppy eyes, a silent apology. Either our game the day before had really helped or Rosalie went after him later on for his behavior.

The following days were the same. School was boring, except for lunch time. Emmett was quiet, Rosalie stayed nice, and all Jasper did was watch me with wary and curious eyes; there were other emotions present but none that I recognized. Our mission with the rogues was slow but getting somewhere. We had caught one and destroyed him when Heidi and I were investigating. We tried to get information out of him but he wouldn't budge; Felix came and helped us tear him apart. I surely wouldn't be forgetting his screams for a while but it came with the job.

Apart from him, everything else had been silent, except for trails and wolf patrol.

It was a little harder for Evie though by Thursday. I had finally gotten around to taking Noah and Evie to the reservation to see the others but a surprise came through, and not one that was really welcomed.

Evie had always been close to Sam, the pack leader. I didn't blame her; Sam was a great guy. After I had given birth and returned home, Sam made it his goal to make sure the kids were taken care of. Evie sort of played as a daughter for him and Emily when she was there. She looked up to him just as much as he cared about her, like an older brother, even more so than Jacob. There were times in the beginning where I seriously wondered if she was meant to be their child instead of mine, but that would be silly.

So when she asked Jacob if Sam was still on the reservation and if she could go see him, Jacob had the unfortunate job of letting my daughter, as well as Noah and me, that Sam had passed not that long ago. He had grown old with Emily because she was human and had passed not long after she had. It turned out most of the wolves I grew up with had, except for Jake, Seth, and Paul. Leah was gone too, having found her imprint after I left, leaving those three with the newer generation.

"Who is Alpha then?" Noah had asked.

"Sam's son," Jacob answered. "His name is Cole; he took over when Sam hit his fiftieth birthday. He's a great guy too… I'm sure he'll want to meet you, Evie. He's heard a lot about you… all of you, actually."

By Evie's horrified manner, I knew it was time to leave. "I think we'll wait a bit on that, Jake," I whispered as Noah tried to comfort his sister. "She needs time to grieve. I wish you would have said something before so I could have a bit of warning."

Jake sighed and ran a hand through his dark hair. "I didn't even think, Bells. I forgot just how close they were."

Though Evie mourned, it still didn't change our situation. That came Friday.

As school finished and we were heading out to our cars, I was approached by Rosalie. Emmett and Jasper went to their jeep but didn't get in; they watched our interaction closely, especially Jasper. She wanted to talk now, to figure out some answers. I knew it was coming; our first day, we had agreed to it. She was giving me time to settle back in before we talked. She knew it would be hard for me to do it so she gave me space. For that, I couldn't say no to her; I respected her for that.

"Do you want to take my car or run?" I asked. Rosalie preferred taking the car; whether for comfort or to see how it ran, I don't know. I didn't really care, either. I just wanted answers.

After explaining to Evie and Noah what was going on, we left and decided to drive around. We only talked about where to go during the drive, knowing it was better to stay away from other topics when distracted. Within minutes, we decided on a special spot she and Emmett had discovered in the woods. It was far enough that the guys wouldn't be able to hear us so I agreed. We left my car in some parking lot and ran the rest of the way.

The special spot was a tiny meadow, sort of like the one he took me to as a human. It was smaller though, with less high grass but more tree coverage and flowers lingering around. A few boulders were close by so we didn't have to sit in wet grass and the sun peered out enough to light our skin up a bit, sparkling just the bit. Rosalie looked me over and smiled sadly.

"After we left, I never knew I would see the day you sparkled like me, Isabella. Immortality suits you just like it fits the rest of us. Do you feel fitted with this life?" She questioned. I nodded slowly and leaned back on the rock.

"When I woke up, I felt like I was born to become the vampire. I found balance, almost; I could move with confidence. I wasn't afraid to be me anymore. It perfected my life," I explained. "I felt more alive than I ever had."

Rosalie nodded. "I thought you would when he was supposed to turn you. We all did. We knew you would be more comfortable in this skin, rather than that fragile human state. You deserved to be a hunter rather than someone's prey." Rosalie paused and tilted her head as she stared at the patch of flowers in front of us. "Alice saw you die, Bella. She saw that you drowned in a pool or something. It was like when we had left the first time and you had experimented with the wolves, the cliff diving play. She saw you go into the water but you never came back out."

Bella nodded; it was what the seer had seen when Aro tested out her abilities. "I felt like I was drowning when I was turned. That's what the pressure felt like when the venom had pulsed through my system. Evie and Noah somehow worked together to create that cover over me. I still don't understand how they did it or why it even stayed."

"Ah," Rosalie murmured with a smile. "Your children?"

My head snapped up to stare at her. I felt like a cartoon with how fast that movement occurred. By the way she eyed Evie on the first day, I knew she had theories but to hear her actually say it out loud was shocking. No one outside of the guard and the three princes knew about them; no one else made the connection.

"What?" She questioned amusedly. "Are you going to tell me they aren't your biological children?"

I shook my head rapidly. "No, no… they are. I mean, it's just shocking that you got it. No one else has ever made the connection before. But you… you got it immediately."

Rosalie shrugged and patted my shoulder. "That doesn't surprise me. I think I just knew because of that mother's instinct. You remember how much I wanted children, how much I yearned for them. When I saw Evangeline next to you, it was like seeing Vera and her baby boy all over again. Your daughter has the same smile, the same eyes as you did when you were human. With your son, it's a little harder. He has some of your features and some of Edward's but he's more of his own person. I guess you could say you would have to know what you were looking for to recognize it."

"Does Jasper and Emmett…?"

"No," She answered firmly. "They're men, Bella. They hardly notice detail like that, even as vampires."

I nodded once and then lowered my gaze. "You won't tell them, will you? Or the others?"

"You don't want them to know?" She questioned her tone curious and surprised. I shook my head and closed my eyes.

"As selfish as it may be, I don't want them involved with the others. They are not their family; I am. They deserve more but not from them," I said, pausing for a moment. "I don't want them to be hurt like I was. I wouldn't wish that on anyone, not even those I hated. I couldn't bear for the only family I have left to be as scorned as I was."

"You do not see us as your family anymore," Rosalie stated sadly. I looked back up at her with a firm gaze.

"I hold nothing against you. You believed me, not his lies. It was comforting to know that someone did, even if we didn't get along when I was human. Even so, I wouldn't blame you if you did believe him. I wouldn't hold a grudge for you leaving. The others though… they believed the lies. Emmett believed them; Alice and Jasper believed him, even Esme and Carlisle! I know they have known Edward longer than I have but they knew how much I loved him; they knew he left me before. They abandoned me, especially when I needed them the most."

Rosalie was quiet for a few moments as she took in my words. She thought and pondered before she spoke. "You are right," she said. "They were wrong. They believed his lies; they were gullible. They should have come to see you earlier, against Edward's advice, and got your side of the story. They knew how charismatic he could be, and that's probably why they believed him."

She paused again then spoke. "I don't think they could help it Bella. All of us honestly believed you were mates, that you were in so much love that nothing could separate you. We saw what you didn't see in his eyes: possession, love, adoration. I guess they believed he loved you too much to live without you so it had to be your choice. I knew it wasn't; that talk we had when I told you my story proved it. None of the others would go against him and his lies though."

"But why? Why would he just leave me? We were fine for a few nights. Sure, he was pissed with himself about the first night we slept together because he created bruises but he got over it. The more we tried it out, the less I got hurt. It just came out of nowhere; I woke up one morning, found he was gone, and that he left a bunch of cash and cards with a letter. It was like he had it planned."

Rosalie tilted her head. "Do you think he knew you were pregnant and got scared?"

I scoffed at the idea. "No," was my answer. "I don't think he knew. I didn't start showing until days after he left. Unless He suddenly could read internal body language or see the future."

"Maybe…maybe it was just him, Bella," Rosalie murmured. I thought about what she could have meant. What could have been wrong with him to cause him to leave me? What was there that caused this whole problem? I kept coming up short on answers.

"I think you lost me, Rosalie."

"Edward was turned at the age of seventeen… really, he's still a boy. A man with wisdom but his mind was, still is, and forever will be, seventeen. Maybe he freaked; most seventeen year olds never even think of the word marriage because it doesn't concern them. While the old soul in him wanted to do the whole courting process because that's how he was raised, he wasn't ready for commitment, especially if he realized he wasn't your true mate," she further explained. "I mean, it's still a stupid excuse but it's believable."

"I never understood it before. I never wanted to get married but I did because it was a way to prove to him that I loved him. He was insistent that marriage was necessary and he ditched me. He was way older than me, had way much more knowledge."

"But still, he'll always be seventeen forever. He'll have the mind of a boy, not a man. You're the type of girl who needs a man to be in her life. Someone strong, someone caring, someone unselfish. You are like me in that way; I could never stand to be romantically involved with a boy. That's why Emmett and I are mates. Though he acts like a child around others, he's far from it. He's a man with a heart, no matter how frozen it may be."

She was right there. I didn't want a teenaged lover. I needed a man.

"Bella, didn't your mother call you her old soul? You were way more mature in some ways than he was because you had a realistic idea life. Edward, on the other hand, was focused on the negatives. Eternity, damnation, hell… that completely haunted him; I think it still does at times, too," Rose continued. "That's something that haunts all of us because none of us had a choice. We feel cheated. Maybe he felt cheated out and couldn't give you his best."

I pondered the ideas. They were likely, so very likely; the bastard was always making everything sound so terrible. I found immortality to be great but then again, like Rose, I had a choice. I chose to go through with the pregnancy. I chose to become a vampire. I had a reason and an outlook for my life. They didn't.

Still. That didn't mean I despised the bastard for fucking with my future.

"Do you still love him, Bella?" Rosalie asked suddenly. "Is there any part of you that has positive thoughts toward him?"

Thinking slowly and separating my thoughts, I found some. "He gave me children. Left me with them but still, if it weren't for his… part in the relationship, they wouldn't exist. He also gave me an outlet; had he not left me, I wouldn't have gone to Italy."

"But do you still love him? Could you ever return to loving him like you were human again?"

Did I? I harbored a lot of feelings for the douchebag: resentment, anger, regret, pain, even hatred at some point. Was I little thankful? A bit. Did I still love him? Could I love him again? Could I find a place in my heart for him?

"No, Rosalie. I can't."

* * *

Well. This took a bit longer than I had planned. The holidays have just been nuts. I hope everyone is having a fun, safe holiday with your families!


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

Rosalie's POV

"By the way… Rosalie?" Bella called as I got out of her car. I bent down and peered into the dimly lit beauty at my newfound friend. Bella's expression was nervous and I could tell she was hesitant to ask her question.

"Yes Bella?" I pressed, eager to know her thoughts. God only knows, she had a lot of them at the moment.

"You said the rest of Cullens are in New Hampshire… why aren't Jasper and Alice together? I've never knew they could be so far away from each other," Bella whispered. I was glad she did. I could only imagine what Jasper would think if he heard her. Though he says he is fine, that he is perfectly okay without her, I know it still hurts him. He was in pain, just like Bella.

I smiled sadly and got back in the car, closing the door tightly behind me. She watched me curiously until I started to explain. I seemed to be doing that a lot tonight.

"Alice… well, after everything went down with Edward and you, she started to question some things. She left us for a while…left Jasper. She said she needed to make sure she was alright, because her visions weren't adding up; that confusion was from her prophecy about Edward and you not coming through. She was gone for about a half of year, same time Edward left us. It nearly tore the whole family apart."

Bella's eyes widened as she leaned back in her seat. "Alice left the Cullens? Is she… is she alive?"

I shook my head to answer. I should have known she would have assumed that. "Alice is perfectly well and happy now. It turns out that the pull between Jasper and Alice weren't of the mating variety. They were simply lovers. When Alice left, she returned with a man. They were madly in love; he was her true mate, like Emmett and I, or Carlisle and Esme."

"Jesus," Bella whispered her tone husky and breathless.

"Yeah, exactly my thoughts when they came back. Poor Jasper though," I _tsked_. "That poor man has gone through hell in his life. I know Alice didn't mean to hurt him. She even debated leaving completely but he wouldn't let her. I think we're all still shocked he hasn't tipped the ledge."

Bella ran her hands through her hair, sighing quietly. "Well, I feel like a bitch," she muttered. "When did this happen?"

"Not much later after we left you," I answered. "Don't feel bad though. You didn't know; it's not like you could have known. You haven't exactly talked to Jasper, either."

Bella bit her lip and looked down at her hands, twiddling her thumbs hesitantly and worriedly. It was such a humane act for a vampire, but then again it was Bella. She was never normal as a human so why should I expect her to be a normal vampire? That was just silly.

"You have my phone number and what not. If he wants to talk, I guess just tell him to give me a call," she said quietly. I tilted my head and nudged her arm. When she looked up at me with those big red eyes, a slightly disorienting feature, mind you, I smiled gently.

"Are you on your way to forgiving him, Bella?"

Bella narrowed her eyes at me; I could tell by the thoughtful expression behind the glare that she was remembering our hours long talk. I knew that some of the family was beyond hope. They had cut her heart to pieces and burned the remains to nothing but ash. But him… maybe it was different. Maybe she would bond with him over this. God only knows, they both need it.

"Goodnight, Rosalie," she muttered. I couldn't help but laugh as I slid back out of the car.

"Fine, fine," I murmured. I closed the door before bending down and poking my head through the window. "Two things though; first, you can call me Rose. I hate formalness. Secondly, how do humans taste?"

With a grim laugh, she put the car back into drive and I backed away, watching her speed back down the driveway. It was sort of nice to see a laugh from her, no matter how sarcastic it may have been. After everything she told me this evening, I understood exactly why she reacted to Jasper and Emmett when she first saw them. The pain that must have caused her to see a few of those who had ruined her must have been worse than the fires of hell. If I were her, I would have tried to kill myself already.

There was so much I had learned about Isabella Swan and yet there was so much more. She had told me the tales of her children, two priceless babies that I envied her for. A similar fact to why I hated her in the beginning was because humanity meant children. Somehow, out of my brother's stupidity and cruelness, she managed to get my dream and immortality; even better, her children also have the same gift as she does.

After Edward left her and deceived the others, Bella didn't let herself fall apart like she did the first time we left. She knew she couldn't with being pregnant; instead, she fought. She fought her way through the anger, the hurt, and the depression. Sure, I could tell she still carried it with her even after all this time but she put all of her emotions aside just for her babies. She faced her fears, the Volturi, just to protect her children.

I also learned about her ability, which has grown immensely over the past century. When Bella was human, we knew she was different. Alice's visions were hazy, Edward couldn't touch her thoughts, and Jasper had slight trouble on pinpointing her emotions. Aro couldn't read her, nor could Jane burn her from the inside out like the rest of us. Everyone was convinced she would be special. No one knew just how _special_.

At first it was just her mind. Nothing could attack her mentally. After a few months, she could expand the shield around her children and then to anyone who stood near her. From what she described, it was painful to expand at first; with more practice though, it was easier to cover more people. About the time she hit her midway mark, Bella explained that during a mission, when some freak came at her kids, the shield changed. The man was put flat on his back within seconds of coming in contact with the shield.

Now, after another fifty years of working and practicing with it, Bella's shield was stronger than any other that had existed. She explained how Aro had placed his first bodyguard and replaced her with Bella but because of the range she could cover, she was typically the protector of the three Princes.

"So basically, you are invincible?" I had questioned when she finished her tale. Bella shook her head and laughed quietly.

"Not completely, per say," she answered. "I can only put up a physical shield within notice. I can't stop them in the middle of a fight because of the concentration it takes. I can do it around other people but not myself."

"I hoped they trained you enough."

With that, she then told me how Felix, the only other vampire I knew of that rivaled my mate's height and strength, had taken it up on himself to train her from the first days of her rebirth. That sort of frightened me; no wonder Aro had chosen her.

Another important talk besides the whole broken heart relationship and abilities was the fact that her eyes were different. Before, when she was human, I thought Bella would be the one to not even think about digesting human blood. Instead, Bella only started drinking from animals to cover her tracks here. Apparently, her eyes had been redder before and the animal blood was slowly turning them orange. If she kept up her routine of feeding every night, I was sure by next week she would be like us.

An impressive thought was that, with the help of her children, she and a few of the guardsmen had changed their ways. Somehow, they were able to feed without killing or changing a human. It must have been control. Even I couldn't accomplish that if I was around fresh blood and I was twice her age.

"Rosie?"

I turned around and saw Emmett on the porch of the house. He was illuminated by the bright white lights from inside, as was Jasper, who was leaning up against the doorframe. Both of them were watching me curiously. Honestly, I couldn't blame them. I think I was standing in the same spot since Bella drove off for about ten to fifteen minutes. I guess I just got lost in my thoughts.

"Coming," I murmured and with one last look at the driveway, I ran back up to the house. Emmett took one step forward and enveloped me in his arms, kissing me gently as a greeting. I pushed on his chest and then glanced at Jasper, who was looking at the ground. Emmett sighed and stepped back from me before all three of us went into the house.

"How is she?" Jasper asked quietly once the door was closed. I shrugged and hung up my jacket by the door before grabbing Emmett's hand.

"As well as she could be after seeing the people who broke her," I answered. Jasper flinched and I immediately felt guilty. That was cruel. "She's getting better though. We're just talking for now but we both hope we can get better."

"Did he seriously lie to us? Did he leave her there like she said?" Emmett asked. His voice was desperate for answers and I could understand why. After their match in gym on the first day, Emmett had been pinning for his little sister. He wanted answers as much as Jasper and I.

Nodding once, I threw myself across the couch and lifted my legs for Emmett to sit down. Jasper stood across from me with his back against the wall. "Yes; I knew that already. No one bothered to believe me though."

"Rose, why would he do that though?" Jasper asked.

"Because it's Edward, Jazz; if something doesn't go his way, he has a hissy fit. Besides, I think he realized they weren't mates on their honeymoon and he freaked," I explained. Jasper thought about it for a minute before moving over and sitting by my head. I held out my hand to him and he grabbed onto it, squeezing it gently. Though Emmett was my mate, Jasper was my twin in some ways. We understood each other on a whole different level.

"I would have thought he would know that before he forced her into marrying him," Emmett growled. I shrugged and lifted my head to look up at the giant teddy-bear at my feet.

"Edward was like me when I was human," I responded. "He was in love with the idea of love. Bella was the first person to get him to open up. Unfortunately, the moron took advantage of it and broke her, not once, but twice."

"But he's not the only one who hurt her," Emmett whispered. I nodded to agree with him.

"All she feels for him is anger and for her own reasons. The rest of us hurt her deeply, which in a way was worse. While Edward left her once and hurt her, she knew he forced us to leave her be. The second time was different because she knows we should have been smarter. She thought all of us knew that she would never leave him and she was right. None of us could believe it yet we were so convinced that Edward loved her more than her. We told her we loved her, that she was family, but we didn't have faith in her."

"Except you, Rosie," Emmett snapped. He was off the couch in seconds, his hands knotting in his curly hair and yanking. His normally happy persona was gone and replaced by worry and sorrow. "You were the only one who saw through his crap. The rest of us let her down and for that reason, the old Bella is gone."

I hissed at my mate as I sat up. "Emmett, don't you dare say that. The Bella that exists today is the Bella she was always supposed to be. She's strong, she loves, and she's her own person. Edward kept her sheltered; therefore, hiding the Bella she was born to be. Don't you dare act like the sister you had is dead because she's far from it. She's alive and well!"

"She works for the Volturi, Rosie! She works for killers," he returned angrily. "We let her down and now look at what happened. For God's sake, she drinks human blood. Does that sound like the Bella we knew? She would faint at the smell of human blood!"

"Emmett-"

"Why would she become immortal after we left anyways?" my twin asked. "Wasn't the only reason to become immortal was for Edward?"

"Maybe she played us all," Emmett hissed. "Maybe she only wanted immortality in the first place."

I had enough. I knew Emmett didn't mean what he said, that he was just distraught over what had happened, but that didn't stop me from slapping him. The sound cracked like a whip through the house, bouncing off the high ceilings and wooden rafters.

"Emmett Cullen, shut up," I hissed. I could feel the venom pooling in my eyes as he stared down at me in shock. "She didn't have a choice. It was that or death. She was dying when we left her, Emmett! She needed to become one of us after we left because it was her only choice! Don't even think about discrediting her choices!"

I didn't realize my voice had reason to the levels of screaming and shouting. A breathless sob wracked my chest before I could catch myself. Both men were silent as I tried to recompose myself but once I did, I realized that I just about broke my promise to Bella. I gave her my word I wouldn't let on about her children yet I just barely gave it away!

"Dying…?" Jasper trailed off. His soft golden eyes were shocked and surprised as he took in my words. "Bella was dying when we left?"

"After we did," I answered in a sigh. They weren't getting more information from me.

"Why? How?" Emmett asked in a whisper. I shook my head.

"I gave my word to her. It isn't my secret to tell."

"Rosie-"

I shook my head again and stood my ground. "No. If she wanted you to know, she would have told you. Now drop it."

Jasper came around and looked at me curiously. "Rose, why did she confide in you? Why did you two talk in the first place? You didn't like her as a human so what changed?"

"Circumstances," I answered with a shrug. "I knew Bella was telling the truth; I believed she was innocent in all of this. As it turns out, we have a lot more in common than I thought."

I guess by the tone of my voice they knew it led to before and stopped asking questions. I let out an unnecessary sigh and leaned up against Emmett, who immediately wrapped his arms around me. He knew I was apologizing for slapping him.

"Why is Bella here then Rose?"

"Apparently there's a bunch of rogues going nuts. All of those killings and disappearances are their work," I answered. "Aro sent her, her coven, Heidi, Felix, and Demetri to stop them."

"Maybe we should call Carlisle and tell him to hurry up. We could help her," Emmett muttered. I shot him a look and immediately rejected the idea.

"No; Bella specifically asked that we hold them off until they are done. Besides it being a distraction to her, a coven moving in could threaten the rogues. They don't know she is here and she plans on keeping it that way until she can get rid of them."

"Is there any way we could help, Rose? I can't imagine her and her… coven, handling a bunch of rogues, even if she has the other three."

"She's strong. She has a gift." I then relayed the details of her shield to them and watched as they glanced at each other wary. From their reactions, they were as impressed and intimidated as I had been.

"Sounds like superman," Emmett joked lamely.

"But she's not completely invincible? The physical shield doesn't work up close?"

"Not on her but she can cover another person. She can't concentrate on herself because of the movements that change during her fighting. There's too much movement for her to cover herself," I answered. Jasper's eyes darkened.

"So fighting is a liability to herself; she could get herself killed if she fights," he muttered. His jaw muscles and fists clenched at the thought and I suppressed a smile. Was Jasper starting to see what I was seeing?

"I think she is pretty well off." Jasper looked up at me with questionable eyes as he heard my nonchalant tone. "From what she told me, Demetri's trying to get his way in so I doubt he'd let anything happen to her."

Okay so maybe that wasn't fair to do. I didn't regret my decision to let that slip, even after seeing Jasper's and Emmett's pissed-beyond-hell reactions.

"She's with the tracker?" Emmett roared. I shrugged; I guess I was doing a lot of that tonight, too.

"Rose, what the hell do you mean that he's 'trying to get his way in'?" Jasper asked quietly. His tone was deadly and menacing. I did my best not to laugh, knowing that would make it worse.

"Apparently for the past century, Demetri has been trying to become Bella's lover. They've had a few flings but she's not serious. She only goes to him when she needs to … uh, let out some steam."

"That bastard is fucking my baby _sister?!_ " Emmett spun me around and stared down at me, his golden eyes liquid fury. When I looked over my shoulder, I saw that Jasper was ten times worse; he made my mate look like a bunny rabbit.

"Em, relax. Bella made sure to clear that up; she hasn't been with anyone that way since our dear 'brother' decided to leave her. It's mainly just a bit of fooling around, really. Like what teenagers do."

"Teenagers get into a lot of kinky shit," Emmett muttered as he let me go and stomped into the kitchen. I smiled slightly at his protectiveness over Bella. If anything, it has grown over their separation.

I turned back to Jasper and immediately felt like a bitch. I had been thinking about why Jasper was acting weird around Bella since she came and why all the sudden his emotions were going haywire. I had theories but his reaction right now was proving one beyond belief. It was even affecting Bella, when she became worried about him after hearing about Alice.

Given time, it would happen in a matter of days. Only if fate wanted it to happen, that is.

"Jasper…" I whispered and patted his shoulder. He glared at me; no, through me. He glared through me as he thought about everything I had told him.

"Bella isn't who she used to be Rose. How can you defend her?"

"She isn't a killer, that's now," I murmured and proceeded to explain Bella's experience. Sure, she murdered a decent amount of people but look at who raised her. Somehow with her kids though, she wasn't a killer anymore. Most of them weren't. Bella was changing them.

"That's amazing," Jasper murmured and relaxed a bit. He then looked up at me, his blonde haired head tilted with curiosity. "Who are the two people with Bella, Rose? They don't seem like regular vampires… they're almost human."

I grinned at the thought of my niece and nephew. Because of Evangeline's illusions, no one could detect their heartbeat and blood. Even with the illusion though, you could see there was something off with them.

"Two friends of Bella's; I think distant relatives," I explained. Jasper nodded and I suddenly wondered how he would take it if the woman he was unconsciously pinning for had children.

* * *

Hey guys! Thanks for reading and please leave your thoughts.

Also, in case you are interested, I've deleted At Dawn and decided to restart; it's still a JasperxOC but hopefully it'll be better. I'll be posting the first chapter after this so please give it a look.

Love you guys!


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

Bella's POV

I expected a nice relaxing Friday night when I arrived back home from talking with Rosalie. Instead, I was greeted by the sight of my family gearing up for an outing. Heidi was nowhere to be seen; the same was said for Demetri.

"What's going on?" I asked as I got out of my car. I left it running out front of the house and then ran to my children. Evie looked worried and hugged me while Felix and Noah took everything to my car. I tossed the keys to Felix for his use.

"Heidi called; she and Demetri were hunting and they intervened on an attack. There were at least two of them. Demetri is tracking them now but one of them is fast, almost too fast for Heidi to keep up with," she explained as she pulled away from me and helped her brother. I nodded and went back to my car, dumping everything I didn't need out before replacing it with my own tools.

"Address and which direction?"

"They were spotted right outside of Forks, west side heading north. Heidi said their going in direction toward the high school," Noah explained as he and Felix shut the trunk. While they finished up in the garage, I changed my books into the extra pair of sneakers I learned to keep with me and then shed my sweater for a t-shirt.

"Victim?"

"Alive, just barely. Heidi said it was a teenager, male, from Forks, about sixteen to eighteen years," Noah answered. I told him and Evie to head up straight for the victim and see what they could do with them. After getting a reassuring glance from my children, I got back into the driver's seat and Felix got into the passenger side. I pulled away from the house before the door was even closed and then pulled out my cell phone before tossing it to my companion.

"Call Heidi, see where she's at," I barked. Felix did as he was told and I listened intently to what Heidi was saying. When I heard her directions, I changed lanes and sped around anything that was blocking my line.

"How far ahead of you are they?" Felix questioned.

 _About a mile back; I just saw you two pass on the road so there's your heads up. Tell Bells that if she floor's it, you might be able to cut them off._

"What am I dealing with, Heidi?" I asked aloud as I pressed down on the pedal harder, watching as my speedometer rose. I could feel the exhilaration of the car on the slick road and prayed to God nothing went wrong.

 _Male and female, both fairly young, probably about a few decades. The male is fast but the female is a fighter. She has good reflexes while the male evades. The only way you're going to stop him is if you physically cut him off._

"Are they mates?"

 _Yeah and the female is very territorial. Watch your back, Bells._

Right as she said that, I spotted two blurs deep in the trees. I hissed and told Felix to hang up. "Grab the wheel and keep the speed up," I muttered. Once his hands were on the wheel, I climbed over him and then rolled down the window. "When I tackle the first, stop the car and make sure the female doesn't knock me over. Restrain, do not kill."

"And if that isn't an option?" Felix asked in a growl.

"Rip off every limb except her head. We need answers and these two might give them to us," I answered. He nodded once and I slid my upper body out of the window, peering over the hood of the car for sight. We were about neck and neck with the rogues; just slow close to success. "A little bit faster, Felix!"

"I don't know how much more I can go with your car, Bella!" he hissed.

"Just try!"

When we had about ten feet ahead, I went for it. Throwing my shield up across the woods in direct line of them, I climbed out of the window, launched myself off the roof of my car, and went straight for the male. The female slammed into the shield and was knocked onto the ground but the male flew at me; I don't think he saw me though until I wrapped my arms around his neck and slammed him into the ground.

Pain radiated from my shoulder, a burn that lit felt too realistic to be imagined. I growled and pinned him to the ground, only to see him grin. After a second of thought, I knew what had happened; the bastard bit me.

Too wipe the smirk off his pale lips, and drew one elbow across, before striking him in the jaw, making his neck snap to the side. The crack under his skin was overshadowed by a loud screeching noise, one that killed my ears to hear without flinching. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see that Felix had already stabilized the female by ripping one leg and one arm off her torso. Venom dripped from the pale arm he held in his hand.

"Stupid bitch," he hissed and tossed it to the side; she had bit him too.

The male beneath me struggled to break through my grip but instead of giving any leeway, I smashed his skull back into the ground as hard as I could. "Keep it up and I'll dismember you like your bombshell over there," I hissed to him, forcing him to look at his mate's torn apart body. With one look at the blonde in agony, he stilled.

The others stopped running when they reached us. While Heidi went to help Felix interrogate the female, Demetri came up and helped me off the man. I kept my shield over him, forcing him to lie still in the ground before Demetri could get his arms around the rogue and force him onto his knees. When that was done, I lifted the shield then bent down in front of him, gripping his chin to force him to look at me. His bright eyes glowed from his recent feeding.

"Well… this is eventful," I murmured to Demetri. "Think we should ask then torture or reverse it?"

"He and his bitch fucked the kid up pretty bad, Bells. I would do both at once; you might get some answers that way."

I hissed lowly when he tried to jerk away from my hand. "I'm not giving you anything!" he growled but shut up when I backhanded him.

"Maybe he doesn't know who we are," I suggested to my companion quietly. Demetri chuckled and yanked the rogue's head back, baring his throat for me to wrap my hand around.

"He'll surely wish he did if he doesn't already," he replied. I smiled grimly and forced him lower onto his knees while bending his back more.

"Do you, rogue? Do you know who you've pissed off this time?" When he didn't answer me, I continued. "Your masters, honey. The Volturi don't like that you're risking our existence. Do you know how we handle that?"

At the mention of my bosses, the rogue's ruby eyes went wide. He knew exactly who we were. I could taste the fear that vibrated off of him.

"She's not giving any answers, Bella. She won't say a word about who is running this shit," Heidi said from across the trees. I looked away from my victim to his counterpart. Her eyes were just as bright as his and when they connected with my gaze, she hissed violently, baring her pearly white teeth for all to see. With another peek at the man, I grinned.

"Burn her if she's no use to us," I murmured. The man beneath my hand started to shake and hiss, struggling against Demetri and me to get to his mate. Felix grinned and tore off the female's remaining limbs before having Heidi snap her head clean off her neck. A loud growl of fury erupted from the vampire in my hands, and the sound brought out a side of me that I hated.

Kneeling next to him, I forced him to watch as Felix extracted a lighter from his pocket. "See that?" I whispered in his ear as the fire devoured the first limb. "That's what's going to happen to you in about two seconds if I don't get any answers from you. So let's begin, shall we?

"Who are you working for?"

The vampire growled and to force his words, Felix lit another limb on fire. I could only imagine the pain he was going through, seeing his mate turn to ash.

"Answer me!" I hissed.

"I don't know their names. All they said was to kill the humans, to have fun with it!"

I searched within his eyes and tone for a lie. There was nothing; he honestly didn't know. "Where can I find these people? How can I get in touch with your masters?"

Again he hesitated. It took both of the female's arms to be lit on fire to get an answer. "They meet us at this rave! It's in Seattle, where most of the humans are wasted and high. They meet us there and tell us what to do next."

"Address, now," I hissed in his ear. He rumbled off an address and Heidi memorized. "Is it the same people each time?"

He shook his head. "Changes with each meeting."

I nodded approvingly. "When?" He paused and eyed Felix fearfully as the torso went up in flames. " _When, damn it!?_ "

"Tuesday nights!" He screamed when Felix started to wave the lighter at the last piece, his mate's head. I smiled grimly and patted his head before standing.

"Got all of that?" I asked Heidi and she nodded. I turned to Demetri who grinned. "Finish that off please. I need to call my children," I murmured.

As I pulled out my cell phone, Felix burned the last remaining piece, igniting both purple smoke and vain screams from the male. Demetri waited a minute as he watched his mate burn before twisting his head off the body.

Three missed calls, all from Evie and Noah. I narrowed my eyes and dialed the number. "Where are you?" I asked when they picked up.

"Mom," Evie sobbed. "We didn't know what to do, Noah didn't have a choice."

Immediately, my fear spiked. "Evie, what's wrong? What happened?"

"Noah had to turn him mama; the venom spread too much already," she cried. "We couldn't just kill him mama, we couldn't have."

"Evie! Evie, baby, take a deep breath. What are you talking about, who is it?"

"Mama," she whispered when her tears had slowed. "We knew the boy. The boy they attacked was David, from school."

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Sorry for the late update m'dears! Hope you don't mind and enjoy the chapter. Can't wait to hear what you guys think. Thanks for reading!


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